Recent News
Trott Family Presents $2000 Donation To BZSFriday, January 10, 2014
In order to honour their grandparents, the family of the late Wakefield and Mildred Trott recently embarked on their own fundraising campaign in order to make a donation of $2,000 to the Bermuda Zoological Society.
Turtle Missing Flipper Ready To Return To Wild
Friday, January 10, 2014
After over a year of recuperating at the Bermuda, Aquarium, Museum & Zoo [BAMZ] after sustaining a severe injury that saw him lose one of his flippers, a turtle is ready to be returned to the wild.
Bermuda’s Coral Reefs featured in new book
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Bermuda’s coral reefs have been featured in a new book which helps to showcase them to a global audience, and the information contained in it will be a key reference for our school children, Minister of Environment and Planning Sylvan Richards said today.
Two fish recognised as unique to Island’s waters
Tuesday, December 03, 2013
A pair of Bermuda fish species have been recognised by the Smithsonian Institution as being unique to Bermuda’s waters.
Two Unique Bermuda Fish Recognised
Monday, December 02, 2013
Scientists at the Smithsonian Institution recently recognised two new Bermuda endemic fish species. The Collette’s half beak and the Yellowfin Chromis have been known for some time, but they were only recently determined to be unique to Bermuda’s waters.
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All the latest updates and news from the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, one of Bermuda's leading visitor attractions!
By Owain Johnston-Barnes
Published Dec. 3, 2013 at 8:00 am (Updated Dec. 2, 2013 at 10:33 pm)
The yellowfin chromis, one of two species recently recognised
as being endemic to Bermuda by the Smithsonian Institution.
A pair of Bermuda fish species have been recognised by the Smithsonian Institution as being unique to Bermuda’s waters.
The yellowfin chromis and the Collette’s halfbeak have been classified as endemic to Bermuda in an update to the authoritative 1999 Fishes of Bermuda publication. Both species have been known in Bermuda’s waters for some time but were only recently determined to be endemic.
Report writers William Smith-Vaniz and Bruce Collette also identified differences between the endemic Bermuda creole wrasse and its Caribbean relatives, suggesting they may also prove to be endemic.
“We recently became aware of two colour photographs, one of a school and the other of a single individual ... of wrasses from Bermuda (Lucas 2012) identified as clepticus parrae,” the researchers wrote.
The Collette’s halfbeak, one of two species recently recognised as being endemic
to Bermuda by the Smithsonian Institution. ((Photo credit to Heidi M. Banford))
“Terminal phase adults are distinctive in having very elongate outer caudal-fin rays, mostly solid blue body and fins and a bright yellow snout. We predict that subsequent research will show these fish to be another Bermuda endemic. All records of clepticus parrae from Bermuda apparently are based on misidentification of this undescribed clepticus.”
They noted the terminal male yellowhead wrasse, called “Redbacks” locally, have different colouration than its counterparts elsewhere in the region.
The Smithsonian also listed several species not previously known to reside in Bermuda, such as the whitenose pipefish, the roughtail stingray, a deepwater opah and blackear wrasse.
A Bermuda Zoological Society spokeswoman said: “In all, 24 new records were listed, and five older records have been discounted as errors, reminding us that we still have much to discover about life on our reefs and that diligent citizen scientists, fishermen and naturalists all have key roles to play.”
The research paper is available at the Natural History Museum Library at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo.