Fish caught evolving into three different species

[Judi Lynn]

Fish caught evolving into three different species
Finding suggests there may be many new kinds of fish we don't know about
By Emily Sohn

updated 1 hour, 36 minutes ago



Three versions of the thumb-sized King
demoiselle fish, which is currently
evolving into three separate species,
shown here.

The King demoiselle is not just one type of fish, but three distinct groups that recently split from each other, according to a new study.

By essentially catching one species in the process of turning into three, the study suggests that conservation efforts might be failing a variety of species that have yet to be identified.

"This work, along with others, is starting to show that there is a lot more biodiversity in the oceans then we previously thought," said Joshua Drew, a marine conservation biologist at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. "We really are in a situation where we are losing things before we even know they exist."

The King demoiselle is a variety of damselfish that lives in the Indo — West Pacific, from the Solomon Islands to the Philippines and through central Indonesia. The area is known for its spectacular diversity, but the region also faces serious threats, including pollution, blast fishing, and oil spills from the shipping industry.

More:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35184122/ns/technology_and_science-science/

[yellowcanine]

1. "caught" evolving? Is it illegal to evolve? Funny headline.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Damn those fundies !!!!!!

[jberryhill]

4. I was wondering whether there was a catch limit on them....

...or whether "evolving fish" are only catch-and-release.

[phantom power]

7. If evolution is outlawed...

[yellowcanine]

8. Shouldn't it be, "If evolution is outlawed, only outlaws will have evolution."?

[yellowcanine]

9. Alternatively, "Evolution doesn't change people, people change people."

[redqueen]

15. No. (nt)

[formercia]

3. Blast Fishing.

DuPont Spinners are quite effective and indiscriminate.

[jberryhill]

5. One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish...

[theoldman]

6. Cichlids evolved into many species in a very short time.

It does not take millions of years.

[yellowcanine]

10. Dang sneaky damselfish - evolving behind our backs.

[bvar22]

11. I'm thinking about doing that myself this afternoon.

I have some time on my hands this afternoon, and I've been having an urge to evolve lately.
Evolving into three distinct species is appealing.

[pansypoo53219]

12. call me when it evolves arms.

adaptation. meh.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. You mean like this?

[JoeyT]

14. It's all micro evolution!

It isn't really macro evolution until one of them gives birth to kittens or puppies or a crocoduck! :silly: