Kai The Fish Guy

An amazing talk on mesophotic fish given by @kaithefishguy.bsky.social 😱 at #IPFC12 in Taiwan. So many new records for Australia from the deep(er) sea😍

Pseudojuloides edwardi

Quite possibly the most beautiful wrasse in existence

Black background fish photography are MY NACHOS.

Blimey! Now THIS is a great goby!

Oxymetopon cyanoctenosum, the Blue-banded Ribbongoby.

Yes I use all my annual leave every year to risk it all for pictures of literal INSECTS.

And I love it!

Trogonoptera brookiana, Rajah Brooke’s Birdwing.

Malaysia’s national butterfly is quite a thing of beauty. Its black wings with emerald green feather-like markings, bright red head, and blue wing accents isn’t even its most remarkable feature. It’s probably the fact that it measures close to 15 cm

Nemo found: dead in a ditch

Gonna deep fry the holotype of NEMO

Im posting dome dank sci comm memes on my insta story!

Available only for 24 hours. Go there and see!!

PhD project in systematic ichthyology - Molecular Ecology, Evolution, and Phylogenetics Laboratory Institution: University of Sydney & Australian Museum Research InstituteLocation: Sydney, NSW AustraliaStart date: July 2025 or February 2026Supervisors:

Try this! And no we have not formally filled it yet.

aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Do that too! Honestly I’d love to have you here!

All you need is 3

Come move here!

Awww Brooke! Thank you 🥰🥰❤️

PhD project in systematic ichthyology - Molecular Ecology, Evolution, and Phylogenetics Laboratory Institution: University of Sydney & Australian Museum Research InstituteLocation: Sydney, NSW AustraliaStart date: July 2025 or February 2026Supervisors:

See the link below for information on start dates, project scope, and details on how to apply:

aus01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

PhD opportunity:

I am looking for a PhD student to study taxonomy and systematics of labrid fishes and other coral reef taxa. Successful applicants will be jointly based at the University of Sydney and the Australian Museum Research Institute.

The two specimens I have on loan here, including one paratype, are invaluable pieces of natural history.

This is one of the most exciting loans I’ve ever unpacked. There are only seven specimens of Prognathodes guyotensis known from collections worldwide; three specimens in the type series, all from the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, and a further four from scattered localities across the Indo-Pacific.

Wow this post is riddled with typos.

Fortunate enough* to encounter..

Not* one but two..

A small bright yellow butterfly with red spots and stripes outlined with metallic blue scales.

A small bright yellow butterfly with red spots and stripes outlined with metallic blue scales.

A small bright yellow butterfly with red spots and stripes outlined with metallic blue scales.

A small bright yellow butterfly with red spots and stripes outlined with metallic blue scales.

Last weekend I was fortunate to encounter two female Yellow Jewel butterflies (Hypochrysops byzos) along a creek line about 45 minutes from Canberra.

This is a very elusive and one of the more difficult of the Australian Jewels to find, so finding bro one but two was an extra special treat.

DAMNNNN I LOVE THAT!!! THATS one of my favorite photos I’ve taken too! Thank you for showing me!

Ethan? If so, I don’t think so :(

Cirrhilabrus cyanogularis!

Watching The Boys and there’s a fish I named in one of the scenes!

Cirrhilabrus cyanogularis, the Blue-throat Fairy Wrasse. I described this species in 2018!

October 2021 > January 2025

4 green and red wrasses with similar stripe patterns. Clockwise from top left: Halichoeres cosmetus; H. ornatissimus; H. melanurus; H. claudia

Merry Christmas Wrasses!

Clockwise from top left: Halichoeres cosmetus; H. ornatissimus; H. melanurus; H. claudia

If getting cooked in the mountains til 6.30 pm and getting home by 8.30 pm is your thing then this insect is for you! ❤️

A small grey butterfly with brilliant red spots and bands outlined in metallic blue.

A small grey butterfly with brilliant red spots and bands outlined in metallic blue.

A small grey butterfly with brilliant red spots and bands outlined in metallic blue.

Hypochrysops delicia, the Moonlight Jewel

I’ve spent many unsuccessful summers over the last few years trying to find this species around the Sydney area. Turns out they’re around, but only at the top of the tallest peaks, in the furthest corner of the Blue Mountains, and only appear after 4 pm.

A small species of fairy wrasse (a type of fish) with bright red pendulous pelvic fins. The body is bicolored - black above, silver below. The head is chestnut orange and the tail is scintillating blue.

Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus, the Monsoon Fairy Wrasse

Two in two days! I’m feeling generous. Ok I’m gonna speed run this one.

Hygro = wet
Xeros = dry
Wet + dry = monsoon = weather profile of Darwin = type location of this species

That title is reserved for Cirrhilabrus roseafascia, with the deepest record we have occurring at 155 m!