The Department of Ichthyology is home to one of the largest and
most important collections of fishes in the world, and is
designated as one of eight International Centers for Ichthyology
in North America. Annotated Checklists of Fishes Ichthyology on
the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition Ichthyology staff
participated in several ventures as part of the Academy's 2011
expedition to the Philippines. Senior Collections Manager David
Catania dove in shallow waters off the southern coast of Luzon
Island, along with other scientists from the Academy and the
Philippines. They also made excursions to Taal Lake in search of
a freshwater sardine and new species of freshwater gobies.
Finally, the Department's Curator Emeritus, Tomio Iwamoto, and
Department of Aquatic Biology Curator, John McCosker, joined
Dave and other marine scientists on the vessel M/V DA-BFAR
(pictured) to trawl in the deep waters around Lubang Island.
Among other things, they found a new species of snake eel,
Myrichthys paleracio, described b