Dr. John Ernest (Jack) Randall (†), Hawaii
Info
Pseudamia is a genus of cardinalfish in the family Apogonidae.
The first description of this species took place 28 years ago, after Dr. Randall and his co-authors Dr. Ida and Dr. Earle had collected a male specimen in a cave around Chichi-jima, an island belonging to Ogasawara, Japan.
It was so dark in the underwater cave that a lamp was needed.
Living in dark caves is also a survival strategy, because if you can't be seen, you can't easily be eaten!
The holotype was described as follows:
“Color when fresh: translucent (becomes opaque and whitish shortly after death), the edges of the scales orange-red, covered with melanophores on the back,
most of which are at the edges of the scales; a concentration of orange-red, speckled with melanophores at the base of the central fins; a diffuse, dark spot mixed with
orange-red, medially-posterior on the tail peduncle; a vertically elongated black spot behind the eye; snout and chin blackish, lips black; orange-red coloration over the gill cover and ventral part of the head; crosshatch pattern of rows of sensory papillae on the cheek and dorsal part of the head orange-red; fins with bright
orange-red rays and clear membranes“.
Etymology:
The genus name ‘Pseudamia’ is composed of the Greek words ‘pseudes’ for false and ‘amia = a type of shark.
The species name ’ rubra” was derived from the Latin word “ruber” for red, in reference to the predominant orange-red coloration.
The first description of this species took place 28 years ago, after Dr. Randall and his co-authors Dr. Ida and Dr. Earle had collected a male specimen in a cave around Chichi-jima, an island belonging to Ogasawara, Japan.
It was so dark in the underwater cave that a lamp was needed.
Living in dark caves is also a survival strategy, because if you can't be seen, you can't easily be eaten!
The holotype was described as follows:
“Color when fresh: translucent (becomes opaque and whitish shortly after death), the edges of the scales orange-red, covered with melanophores on the back,
most of which are at the edges of the scales; a concentration of orange-red, speckled with melanophores at the base of the central fins; a diffuse, dark spot mixed with
orange-red, medially-posterior on the tail peduncle; a vertically elongated black spot behind the eye; snout and chin blackish, lips black; orange-red coloration over the gill cover and ventral part of the head; crosshatch pattern of rows of sensory papillae on the cheek and dorsal part of the head orange-red; fins with bright
orange-red rays and clear membranes“.
Etymology:
The genus name ‘Pseudamia’ is composed of the Greek words ‘pseudes’ for false and ‘amia = a type of shark.
The species name ’ rubra” was derived from the Latin word “ruber” for red, in reference to the predominant orange-red coloration.
