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  • This is a pair of Korean seahorses (Hippocampus haema) engaged in spawning. The lighter-colored female on the left is depositing eggs into the brooding pouch of the male (right, looking toward the camera). The male’s pouch is swollen and distended to make room for the eggs, which he fertilizes once they are deposited. The male broods the eggs for three to ten weeks. After hatching the juveniles, the male engages in courtship with the female and mates again throughout the spring and summer breeding season. Pair bonds are reasonably consistent, though there seems to be some mixing that takes place. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-sp...tif
  • This is a palr of Korean seahorses (Hippocampus haema) engaged in unusual post-mating courtship activity. Whenever the two seahorses separated and were not in direct physical contact, they maintained frequent eye contact, as depicted here with the male in the background (belly full of eggs) looking toward the female. Earlier in the morning, the pair had completed hours of courtship, culminating with the female depositing eggs into the brooding pouch of the male. Once this takes place, the pair usually return to independent activity, most often foraging for food. In this instance, the pair stayed together. The male broods the eggs for three to ten weeks, depending upon the time of year. After hatching the juveniles, the male engages in courtship with the female and mates again throughout the spring and summer breeding season. Pair bonds are reasonably consistent, though there seems to be some mixing that takes place. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-co...tif
  • This is a male hairy frogiish (Antennarius striatus) with illicium (rod) and esca (lure) extended for the purpose of attracting prey. The wormlike shape of the esca is characteristic of this species. The illicium and esca are part of the frontmost of three dorsal fins.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a school of juvenile striped catfish (Plotosus lineatus) feeding on a dense cloud of planktonic organisms at night. The fish are swimming in their characteristic ball-like formation. The first dorsal fin and pectoral fins have venomous spines.
    plotosus-lineatus-striped-catfish-ju...tif
  • This is a large male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) with his esca, or lure, extended to entice prey. The esca is situated at the end of a long rod called the illicium, which is the fish’s front-most dorsal fin. The white hair-like protrusions of the fish’s body are small skeleton shrimp (Caprellidae), clearly visible at 100% magnification. This photograph was taken five days prior to this fish spawning with a smaller female.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a pair of hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) photographed about 22 hours prior to spawning. The yellow-orange fish on the left is the female. Her abdomen is swollen with eggs. The male is positioned near the female. He will stay with her until she is ready, In prepration for spawning, the female will grow to about double her normal size. In order to spawn, the male will need to push the enlarged female up into the water column, where she releases a raft of eggs that he fertilizes.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • Depicted here are two hairy frogfishes (Antennarius striatus) that have paired up in preparation for spawning. The larger female on the left is walking across the sea floor beneath an overhang in the reef while the male follows. Having paired up with this female, the male will remain in close proximity until she is ready, prepared to fend off other males if necessary. Although the female’s abdomen is already somewhat swollen and distended, she will balloon substantially from this point, becoming around twice the size shown here. This pair spawned between 15 and 16 hours after this photo was taken.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • These two hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) are seconds away from spawning. The smaller male has positioned himself beneath the female to push her up into the water column. Her belly is swollen with eggs, and she has inflated herself to around twice her normal size in preparation for release of eggs. This may make it difficult for her to swim effectively without help. The male is positioned near where the eggs will be released. Being in this position may be critical for him to judge the precise moment when he should break away from the female and release sperm to fertilize the eggs.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a male Korean seahorse (Hippocampus haema) hatching a juveniles after brooding them for somewhere between three and ten weeks. The adult is about 8cm in length. As they develop, the juveniles are curled up inside the brood pouch. Though some emerge straightened out, many are ejected in curled-up form, eventually unfurling, some soon after emerging, some sinking as they take time to adjust. In this photo, a number of curled-up juveniles are just about to be ejected from the brood pouch. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-ma...tif
  • This is a pair of Korean seahorses (Hippocampus haema) engaged in unusual post-mating courtship activity. Earlier in the morning, the pair had completed hours of courtship, culminating with the female (background) depositing eggs into the brooding pouch of the male (foreground). Once this takes place, the pair usually return to independent activity, most often foraging for food. In this instance, the pair stayed together. They maintained body contact, often with their prehensile tails intertwined. The male broods the eggs for three to ten weeks. After hatching the juveniles, the male engages in courtship with the female and mates again throughout the spring and summer breeding season. Pair bonds are reasonably consistent, though there seems to be some mixing that takes place. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-co...tif
  • This is a male Korean seahorse (Hippocampus haema) hatching a juveniles after brooding them for somewhere between three and ten weeks. The adult is about 8cm in length. As they develop, the juveniles are curled up inside the brood pouch. Though some emerge straightened out, many are ejected in curled-up form, eventually unfurling, some soon after emerging, some sinking as they take time to adjust. Note that two of juveniles that have just emerged are still attached to the thin membrane from their egg cases. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-ma...tif
  • Octopuses are renowned for their intelligence and curiosity, This East Asian common octopus (Octopus sinensis) snuck up at night to take my dive light. The light was attached to my wrist via a lanyard, so try as it might, the octopus was unable to claim its prize. We engaged in a game of tug-of-war for a few minutes, during which I laughed so hard that I must have wasted a considerable amount of air. The octopus eventually relented, blending in with the substrate and sulking.
    octopus-sinensis-east-asian-common-o...tif
  • This is a male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) exhibiting the characteristic lump resulting from infection by the parasitic copepod Sarcotaces pacificus. A maggot-shaped female resides inside the lump, where she lays thousands of eggs. The eggs hatch within the lump and pass through five nauplius development stages before reaching their first copepodid stage, at which point the juvenile parasites are able to infect new hosts.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a pair of hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) just starting to spawn. The orange fish in on the left is the male, the lighter fish on the right the female. The egg raft is visible between the two fish, just starting to be released by the female. Also, at 100% magnification, there is what appears to be the beginning of white fluid being emitted by the male. This might be the sperm.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) exhibiting the characteristic lump on his head and abdomen resulting from infection by the parasitic copepod Sarcotaces pacificus. A maggot-shaped female resides inside the lump, where she lays thousands of eggs. The eggs hatch within the lump and pass through five nauplius development stages before reaching their first copepodid stage, at which point the juvenile parasites are able to infect new hosts.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a female hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) releasing a raft of eggs during spawning. The male is fertilizing the eggs, just below the frame. The top of the male is just visible. It is more normal for the fish to be adjacent to one another during fertilization, but in this instance, the female swam upward while the male remained lower.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • These two hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) are seconds away from spawning. The smaller male has positioned himself beneath the female to push her up into the water column. Her belly is swollen with eggs, and she has inflated herself to around twice her normal size in preparation for release of eggs. This may make it difficult for her to swim effectively without help. The male is positioned near where the eggs will be released. Being in this position may be critical for him to judge the precise moment when he should break away from the female and release sperm to fertilize the eggs.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a pair of hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) that have just spawned. The orange fish in the foreground is the male, the lighter fish in the background the female. The fertilized egg raft is visible between the two fish.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a palr of Korean seahorses (Hippocampus haema) preparing to spawn. About 30 seconds after this photo was taken, the seahorses swam up from the reef, where the lighter-colored female (left) deposited eggs into the abdominal pouch of the male (right). Once spawning takes place, seahorses usually  usually return to independent activity, most often foraging for food. In this instance, the pair stayed together post-spawning and continued courtship-like behavior. They maintained body contact, often with their prehensile tails intertwined. The male broods the eggs for three to ten weeks, depending upon the time of year. After hatching the juveniles, the male engages in courtship with the female and mates again throughout the spring and summer breeding season. Pair bonds are reasonably consistent, though there seems to be some mixing that takes place. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-co...tif
  • This is a male Korean seahorse (Hippocampus haema) hatching a juveniles after brooding them for somewhere between three and ten weeks. The adult is about 8cm in length. As they develop, the juveniles are curled up inside the brood pouch. Though some emerge straightened out, many are ejected in curled-up form, eventually unfurling, some soon after emerging, some sinking as they take time to adjust. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-ma...tif
  • This female hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) is aboout 16 hours  away from spawning with a large orange male (see separate spawning sequence). Her abdomen is swollen with eggs in this photograph. The female inflated to about twice this size prior to spawning. As the time for spawning neared, the female appeared to increase her rate of respiration, continually pumping water past her gills, as shown here with the gill opening extended (the tube-like protrusion behind her pectoral fin).
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a large female hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus). Her mottled appearance gave her the ability to blend-in with the visual chaos of the reef. She is also covered with small white amphipods known as skeleton shrimp (Caprellidae), clearly visible at 100% magnification.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a large male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) opening his mouth. Frogfishes exhibit this type of yawning behavior relatively frequently. In this image, the frogfish's illicium (rod) and esca (lure) are folded back and tucked away on top of the fish's head, comprising the front-most of three dorsal fins. The white hair-like protrusions on the fish's body are small amphipods known as skeleton shrimp (Caprellidae). This photograph was taken three days prior to this fish spawning with a smaller female.
    antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfi...tif
  • This is a fertilized raft of hairy frogfish eggs (Antennarius striatus), floating in the water column a few minutes after a pair of the fish spawned.
    antennarius-striatus-hairy-frogfish-...tif
  • This composite sequence of six images depicts the spawning sequence of a pair of hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus). When the female is ready to spawn, the male nudges her swollen abdomen and the pushes her up into the water column. The height to which the fish ascend varies from case to case. In this instance, the fish only rose about a meter from the sea floor prior to spawning. This sequence spans between three and four seconds.
    antennarius-striatus-hairy-frogfish-...tif
  • This is a male Korean seahorse (Hippocampus haema) hatching a juveniles after brooding them for somewhere between three and ten weeks. The adult is about 8cm in length. As they develop, the juveniles are curled up inside the brood pouch. Though some emerge straightened out, many are ejected in curled-up form, eventually unfurling, some soon after emerging, some sinking as they take time to adjust. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-ma...tif
  • This is male Korean seahorse (Hippocampus haema) on the verge of giving birth. His brooding pouch has just opened, with several curled-up baby seahorses about toe emerge. The outlines of more babies can be seen through the skin of the male’s pouch. Note the seahorse’s use of his prehensile tail to anchor itself to the algae. Giving birth is an exhausting, physical process.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-gi...tif
  • This is a palr of Korean seahorses (Hippocampus haema) engaged in unusual post-mating courtship activity. Whenever the two seahorses separated and were not in direct physical contact, they maintained frequent eye contact, as depicted here. Earlier in the morning, the pair had completed hours of courtship, culminating with the female (right) depositing eggs into the brooding pouch of the male (left). Once this takes place, the pair usually return to independent activity, most often foraging for food. In this instance, the pair stayed together. They maintained body contact, often with their prehensile tails intertwined as pictured here. The male broods the eggs for three to ten weeks, depending upon the time of year. After hatching the juveniles, the male engages in courtship with the female and mates again throughout the spring and summer breeding season. Pair bonds are reasonably consistent, though there seems to be some mixing that takes place. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-co...tif
  • This is a male Korean seahorse (Hippocampus haema) on the left, with two females competing for his attention. The dark stripe down the central ventral surface of the seahorses is indicative of courtship. Both females have a clutch of eggs that they are ready to deposit with a male, who will then brood them for a period of three to ten weeks. Though pair bonds of these fish seem to be reasonably consistent throughout the breeding season, instances of competition like this (two females for a male, as well as two males for a female) do take place. Here one female engaged the male in the elaborate courtship ritual, while the other female stayed close while attempting to get the male’s attention. After some time, the male broke away from one female and went to the other. This process repeated multiple times, and likely continued for many hours beyond the time I was able to observe. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-co...tif
  • This is a pair of Korean seahorses (Hippocampus haema) engaged in unusual post-mating courtship activity. Earlier in the morning, the pair had completed hours of courtship, culminating with the female (right) depositing eggs into the brooding pouch of the male (left). Once this takes place, the pair usually return to independent activity, most often foraging for food. In this instance, the pair stayed together. They maintained body contact, often with their prehensile tails intertwined as pictured here. The male broods the eggs for three to ten weeks, depending upon the time of year. After hatching the juveniles, the male engages in courtship with the female and mates again throughout the spring and summer breeding season. Pair bonds are reasonably consistent, though there seems to be some mixing that takes place. Described in 2017, this species is found in the waters of Korea, as well as along the southern and western coasts of Japan.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-co...tif
  • This male Laiphognathus multimaculatus Spotty Blenny is looking out from his home in the coral reef during breeding season. He is searching for females that are ready to spawn. Normally dull and drab in color, this male had donned a bright yellow, blue and orange pattern for this purpose. When a female approaches, he performs an elaborate, somewhat comical dance to entice her.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • These spotty blennies (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) have just finished spawning. The female has emerged from the male's burrow after depositing all of her eggs. At this juncture, the male was attempting to kick the female out by hovering, prodding and even hitting her. The sooner he could force her to depart, the sooner the male could court other females and spawn again.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is a male spotty goby (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) sending one of his babies into the world. Females of this species deposit eggs into the burrows of males, which fertilize and care for the developing young. When juveniles are mature, the males take the young fish into their mouths, dart out of their burrows and spit the babies into the water, sometimes one at a time, sometimes several at once. The action is rapid, the direction and timing of launching babies unpredictable. When the males send the babies out like this, their bodies usually lose the bright coloration of breeding season, becoming relatively drab, though not quite as dull as normal.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This a male spotty goby's (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) normal drab appearance, without the brilliant yellow, blue and orange colors associated with courtship and spawning. This dull appearance and pattern help the fish to blend into the reef when it leaves its burrow to look for food, as pictured here.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • Normally pale in color, this male Laiphognathus multimaculatus Spotty Blenny is displaying the characteristic yellow, blue and orange colors and patterns used to court females during breeding season. When an interested female comes close, he will perform a dance in front of his burrow to entice her to deposit eggs inside.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is a male spotty goby (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) sending babies into the world. Females of this species deposit eggs into the burrows of males, which fertilize and care for the developing young. When juveniles are mature, the males take the young fish into their mouths, dart out of their burrows and spit the babies into the water, sometimes one at a time, sometimes several at once. The action is rapid, the direction and timing of launching babies unpredictable. When the males send the babies out like this, their bodies usually lose the bright coloration of breeding season, becoming relatively drab, though not quite as dull as normal.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is a male Laiphognathus multimaculatus Spotty Blenny displaying bright yellow, orange and blue colors and patterns used to court females during breeding season. Males perform a dance in front of their burrows. Interested females enter the burrow to deposit eggs.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is a male Korean seashorse (Hippocampus haema) giving birth. This birth took place at the very end of the reproductive season. As such, this male carried only about 25 young. The number of juveniles that pregnant males carry declines through the season, because the number of eggs produced and passed to males by females drops over time.
    hippocampus-haema-korean-seahorse-ma...tif
  • This is a mature Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus) measuring about 60cm. It was patrolling a shallow reef area at night in search of food. Found in the western Pacific, this species is catadromous. These fish are protandrous hermaphrodites.
    lateolabrax-japonicus-japanese-sea-b...tif
  • Pictured here is a pair of spotty blennies (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) engaged in spawning. When a female has finished depositing eggs, as pictured here, the male wants her to leave immediately. He hovers, prods, even strikes the female to force her out. He then takes responsibility for the eggs, but also continues to court other females in order to spawn again.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • Normally pale in color, this male Laiphognathus multimaculatus Spotty Blenny is displaying the bright colors and patterns used to court females during breeding season. Adopting this characteristic yellow, blue and orange pattern, males perform a dance in front of their burrows. Interested females enter the burrow to deposit eggs.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • Pictured here is a pair of spotty blennies (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) engaged in spawning. Poking out from the burrow is the female. She has just deposited eggs inside. The male then lowers himself into the burrow to fertilize the eggs. This process repeats several times, after which the female departs abruptly. The male is tasked with caring for the eggs and launching them into the world when they are ready.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • Normally pale in color, this male Laiphognathus multimaculatus Spotty Blenny is displaying the bright colors and patterns used to court females during breeding season. Adopting this characteristic yellow, blue and orange pattern, males perform a dance in front of their burrows. Interested females enter the burrow to deposit eggs.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is a male spotty goby (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) darting out from his burrow in order to send one of his babies into the water. The juvenile fish's eyes are visible inside the adult's mouth. Males of this species care for developing young. When the juveniles are ready, males collect them in their mouths, swim out at high speed and spit the fry into the water.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is what a male spotty goby (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) looks like during spawning. The female is inside the burrow depositing eggs. The male had lowered himself partially into the burrow to fertilize the eggs. The male's fins flare and his movements are agitated during this process.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is a top-down view from the dorsal side of a male spotty blenny (Laiphognathus multimaculatus). This male was looking out from his burrow in the early morning, searching for females to court during the breeding season. From this perspective, the fish's ability to control each eye in an independent manner is apparent.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
  • This is the moment when a male spotty goby (Laiphognathus multimaculatus) sent one of his babies into the world. Females of this species deposit eggs into the burrows of males, which fertilize and care for the developing young. When juveniles are mature, the males take the young fish into their mouths, dart out of their burrows and spit the babies into the water, sometimes one at a time, sometimes several at once. The action is rapid, the direction and timing of launching babies unpredictable. Such behavior is perhaps necessary to minimize predation. This male was about 4cm in length.
    laiphognathus-multimaculatus-spotty-...tif
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