tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38639240964037387332012-02-16T22:42:00.695+08:00A guide to the fish in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (T.A.R.P.), off Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysian BorneoDitch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.comBlogger201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-21164039219565780172008-06-09T08:25:00.000+08:002008-06-09T08:29:07.630+08:00

My new TARP Fish website is now up and running. See TARP Watch for more details. The new website is expected to replace the functions of this TARP Fish blog, so I do not expect to publish any more here, but for the sake of the archive and so as not to break links already established 'out there' I will not close it for the time being.

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-73284622207677648292008-06-05T07:50:00.000+08:002008-06-05T07:50:00.610+08:00

Feedback would be welcome. I'm at present constructing a website with a built in, simple key to guide users into the matrix of reef fish identification at TARP. It will also have the same access as this blog site to the annotated checklist and the 'wall' of illustrated descriptive panels, as well as the external fish news. I am anticipating stopping blogging here in due course and switching my

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-7004721700806713672008-05-30T09:00:00.005+08:002008-05-30T09:00:01.550+08:00

Fascinatingly, I have just calculated the expected species total for TARP based on an apparently robust Coral Fish Diversity Index (CFDI - see p.46 of the Raja Ampat report) devised by Gerry Allen (calculated by adding together species in six Index families - ACANTHURIDAE, CHAETODONTIDAE, LABRIDAE, POMACANTHIDAE, POMACENTRIDAE, SCARIDAE & multiplying the resulting CFDI by 3.39, and then

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-13498665182163599092008-05-29T09:00:00.002+08:002008-05-29T09:00:00.788+08:00

A useful e-mail came in a couple of days ago which I've just been able to process - namely, POMACENTRIDAE authority Gerry Allen has noted that my adult Pomacentrus grammorhynchus was in fact a juvenile Pomacentrus tripunctatus en route to becoming an adult. My juvenile P. grammorhynchus photos were already somewhat suspect for having such tiny granules of blue on the top of the tail base. "

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-57705234034265298152008-05-28T10:15:00.000+08:002008-05-28T10:18:42.343+08:00

As well as several corrections, the first draft checklist has now been amended to include the original species author's name, the year the description was first published, and a link to a bibliographical reference to the original, given by Eschmeyer.Furthermore, most species now also have a link inserted directly to their relevant FishBase page (a number of mirror sites exist around the world and

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-84097654206352328802008-05-27T17:10:00.000+08:002008-05-27T17:10:42.263+08:00

It's inevitable that the first draft of this collection would have mistakes: two careless ones have recently been corrected (Pholidichthys leucotaenia picked up the wrong Species name first time round when a previous panel was used as a template - I had mistakenly let it slip through as P. fasciatus; additionally, I missed out a letter when transcribing Ctenogobiops pomastictus first allowing it

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-22414616557538939342008-05-20T16:35:00.001+08:002008-05-20T16:39:00.359+08:00

To the right of this blog panel, you should see a link to a foldable checklist of the fish species I have seen in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. I hope to add further features to this checklist in due course, such as links to relevant FishBase pages or other material I have used to help me with identification.

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-84668297428526849322008-05-11T20:15:00.000+08:002008-05-11T20:15:00.929+08:00

The 29th of April 2008 was a gorgeous, calm sea-ed, blue sky-ed day; perfect for snorkelling in the first part of the morning before the sun became overwhelming. Sapi Island has some lovely snorkelling and sure enough, I was able to turn up 10 more species of fish. Some of these - particularly the Needlefish and Moonyfish around the jetty - were unsurprising since I knew they were there and

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-46315470319444419672008-05-04T20:50:00.001+08:002008-05-04T21:52:42.518+08:00

The night dives on 22nd April have proved highly productive: 8 more species on top of the previous total brings me to 289 fish species identified in the park. I know there are a few more species to add from a recent snorkelling trip too but I haven't analysed my photos properly yet.This Stargazer was a real beauty though. What an ugly face!

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-26287124134587136722008-04-30T21:35:00.001+08:002008-04-30T21:37:45.174+08:00

A few amendments and a handful of omissions from the first tranche of uploads brings me to 281 fish species in TARP (described in 301 different panels including 318 illustrations). There'll be more to come as I process photos from a couple of recent dives but this now represents my basic baseline; from here on it should just be new variants, sexes and phases, new species, or better photos.

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-27791937827212184332008-04-28T22:55:00.001+08:002008-04-28T22:59:31.646+08:00

Done! 273 species represented in 293 panels. This represents the minimum number of fish species in TARP and will, I hope, be a helpful start for anyone wanting to identify fish here. It is a much smaller list than could be encountered in a standard photo guide on reef fish, covering as they may, an area like the whole of the tropical Pacific.It is also notable that a fair number of species here

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-67179781862229398322008-04-27T21:50:00.000+08:002008-04-27T21:52:41.758+08:00

It's taken all day but all the suborder Percoidei is up now: 54 more species in 56 panels taking the collection to 224 species described in 244 panels. (In the illustrated example, I'm sorry - I can't resist delicious descriptions and anyway, if an 'Emperor' can be invoked in naming a fish, why not icecream?!)

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-42739179360733320132008-04-27T07:30:00.001+08:002008-04-27T07:30:05.113+08:00

Overnight I've been able to make a start uploading my largest Suborder - Percoidei. Of three families so far, the largest has been the Cardinalfishes. So in total now, I've reached 170 species (188 panels). If you're using PicLens to view the collection then I'm sure you're beginning to appreciate it for ease of browsing through such a large number of items. If you're not then I strongly

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-50218294714632920202008-04-26T16:30:00.001+08:002008-04-26T16:33:07.013+08:00

With the 9 species of Parrotfishes (in 11 panels), I've now completed uploading the Labroid fishes. Interestingly (and I hope not ominously for TARP), I seem to have found it easier to photograph Juveniles and Initial phase fish than the Terminal phase ones. Anyway, I'm now up to 143 species (in 161 panels); over halfway.Incidentally, I found a new government site today called SyMBiosIS with a

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-51305408964405701512008-04-26T08:35:00.001+08:002008-04-27T07:30:31.475+08:00

Here's another tranche of panels - 47 of them representing 43 species, bringing me to a total of 134 species uploaded in 150 panels. Not quite half way there yet (276 species at last count but my recent night dive will add several more when I can catch up with myself).

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-64941906145796672132008-04-25T09:00:00.002+08:002008-04-27T07:29:43.696+08:00

It's taken a while but I've completed and uploaded the Wrasses now (29 species in TARP - with 11 extra panels for different sexes, phases and variants). This brings my total so far to91 species (in 103 panels). Nearly 1/3 done.

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-18022321671759504832008-04-21T19:15:00.001+08:002008-04-25T17:37:58.449+08:00

Another bunch of panels just uploaded covering most of the smaller fish visible on the reef - mainly Gobies (like this one) and Blennies. I'm now up to 62 species (63 panels) of the 276 I hope to get on line soon.

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-5661303312645799952008-04-20T16:10:00.001+08:002008-04-25T08:23:45.148+08:00

A busy day: four more families uploaded just now (Surgeonfishes, Spadefish, Spinefeet and the Moorish Idol) giving a total of 25 species (26 descriptions) so far. Where there are significant differences between Juveniles and Adults (as with Platax pinnatus shown here) or between Females and Males or between Initial phase adults and Terminal phase adults, I will give separate illustrations.

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-62973629853126794652008-04-20T09:30:00.000+08:002008-04-20T09:30:26.302+08:00

Overnight I've started to upload Bony Fishes (Osteichthyes) with details on species in seven families - Moray eels (an example is shown here), Conger eels, Snake eels, Lizard fish, Squirrelfishes, Anglerfish and Mullet. This brings me to a total of 14 species uploaded so far out of a total of 276 to do.Incidentally, close examination will reveal that I have used a watercolour effect to show the

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3863924096403738733.post-70386663411591336882008-04-19T15:05:00.004+08:002008-04-25T17:38:54.098+08:00

At last it's here: an online resource to help you identify fishes you might see in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. It launches today with the basic layout (an example is given here) along with the few entries I have relating to Cartilagenous fishes (sharks and rays). It's the most comprehensive and accurate that I can make it, as an amateur Fishwatcher, but I've had some input from several

Ditch Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07939542179626428691noreply@blogger.com0