California Academy of Sciences, Water Planet Gallery

The Mossy Frog, Vietnamese Mossy Frog, or Tonkin Bug-eyed Frog (Theloderma corticale), is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family. It is found in Northern Vietnam and possibly China. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and rocky areas. It is a semi-aquatic, semi-arboreal species that is threatened by habitat loss. less ↑

Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, also known as the weedy seadragon or common seadragon, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. It is the only member of the genus Phyllopteryx. Adult weedy seadragons are a reddish colour, with yellow and purple markings; they have small leaf-like appendages that provide camouflage and a number of short spines for protection. Males have narrower bodies and are darker than females. Seadragons have a long dorsal fin along the back and small... less ↑

The purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, lives along the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean extending from Ensenada, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada. This sea urchin species is deep purple in color and lives in lower intertidal and nearshore subtidal communities. Along with sea otters and abalones, it is a prominent member of the spectacular kelp forest community. less ↑

Corynactis californica is a bright red colonial anthozoan similar to sea anemones and scleractinian stony corals. Unlike the Atlantic true sea anemone, Actinia fragacea, that bears the same common name, strawberry anemone, this species is a colonial animal of the order Corallimorpharia. Other common names include club-tipped anemone and strawberry corallimorpharian. The anemone is known to carpet the bottom of some areas, like Campbell River in British Columbia, and Monterey Bay in California. less ↑

Pagurus is a genus of hermit crabs in the family Paguridae. Like other hermit crabs, their abdomen is not calcified and they use snail shells as portable homes. These marine decapod crustaceans are omnivorous, but mostly prey on small animals and scavenge carrion. Trigonocheirus and Pagurixus used to be considered subgenera of Pagurus, but the former is nowadays included in Orthopagurus, while the latter has been separated as a distinct genus. less ↑

Phyllomedusa sauvagii, commonly known as the waxy monkey leaf frog, is a hylid frog belonging to the subfamily of South and Central American leaf frogs, Phyllomedusinae, that inhabits the Chaco (dry prairie) of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. The subfamily consists of around 50 species in three well-known genera, Phyllomedusa, Agalychnis, and Pachymedusa. The vast majority of known species, including Phyllomedusa sauvagei, belong to the genus Phyllomedusa. less ↑

Nothobranchius is a genus of small, freshwater annual fish from in the family Nothobranchiidae which was long included in the Aplocheilidae. They are mainly found in East Africa from Sudan to northern South Africa, but half a dozen species are found in the upper Congo River Basin and two species (N. rubroreticulatus and N. thierryi) are from west-central Africa. The greatest species richness is in Tanzania. Many species have very small distributions. There are many species:... less ↑

Ameca splendens, a bony fish from the monotypic genus Ameca of the splitfin family (Goodeidae), is commonly known as the Butterfly Goodeid or Butterfly Splitfin. It was formerly found throughout the Ameca River drainage in Mexico; the type locality is Rio Teuchitlán in the vicinity of Teuchitlán, Jalisco. The species was only ever found in an area about 10 miles (15 km) in diameter. less ↑

The yellow perch (Perca flavescens), commonly referred to as perch, is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill from New York. Yellow perch are closely related, and morphologically similar to the European perch (Perca fluviatilis); however, the two are recognized as independent species based on anatomical and genetic differences. Other common names for yellow perch include American perch, coontail, lake perch, raccoon... less ↑

Channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, is North America's most numerous catfish species. It is the official fish of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Tennessee, and is informally referred to as a "channel cat". In the United States, they are the most fished catfish species with approximately 8 million anglers targeting them per year. The popularity of channel catfish for food has contributed to the rapid growth of aquaculture of this species in the United States. less ↑

The smallmouth buffalo (Ictiobus bubalus, from the Greek for "bull-fish" and "buffalo") is a Cypriniformes fish species found in the major tributaries and surrounding waters of the Mississippi River in the United States as well as some other water systems where it has been introduced. It is a stocky fish like its relatives the bigmouth buffalo (Ictiobus cyprinellus) and the black buffalo (Ictiobus niger), although the smallmouth buffalo's mouth is located ventrally like other Catostomidae species... less ↑

The spotted gar (Lepisosteus oculatus) is a primitive freshwater fish of the family Lepisosteidae, native to North America from the Lake Erie and southern Lake Michigan drainages south through the Mississippi River basin to Gulf Slope drainages, from lower Apalachicola River in Florida to Nueces River in Texas, USA. It has a profusion of dark spots on its body, head, and fins. Spotted gar are long and have an elongated mouth with many teeth used to... less ↑

The longnose gar, Lepisosteus osseus, is a primitive ray-finned fish of the gar family. It is also known as the needlenose gar. L. osseus is found along the east coast of North and Central America in freshwater lakes and as far west as Kansas and Texas and southern New Mexico. The gar have been present in North America for about 100 million years. Predation is not a problem on adult longnose gar, but they are vulnerable... less ↑

The longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, is a freshwater fish in the sunfish family Centrarchidae of order Perciformes. It is native to the area of eastern North America stretching from the Great Lakes down to northeastern Mexico. The longear sunfish reaches a maximum recorded length of about 24 cm (9.5 in), with a maximum recorded weight of 790g (1.7 lb). Most do not live beyond six years. The longear sunfish is quite colorful, with an olive to... less ↑

The American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, also called the Mississippi paddlefish or spoonbill, is a paddlefish living in slow-flowing waters of the Mississippi River drainage system. It appears to have been extirpated from Lake Erie and its tributaries. They are closely related to the sturgeons. This large Chondrostean freshwater fish may grow to 220 cm (7 feet) and weigh up to 100 kg (220 pounds). The paddlefish takes its common and scientific names from its distinctive snout, which is greatly elongated... less ↑

The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) is an endangered species of ray-finned fish, endemic to the waters of the Missouri and lower Mississippi River basins of the United States. Named for its pale coloration, the pallid sturgeon is closely related to the relatively common shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhyncus platorhynchus), but is much larger, averaging between 30 and 60 inches (760 and 1,500 mm) in length and 85 pounds (39 kg) in weight at maturity. The pallid sturgeon takes 15 years to mature and... less ↑

The shovelnose sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus platorynchus, is the smallest species of freshwater sturgeon native to the United States of America. It is often called "hackleback", "sand sturgeon", or "switchtail." Switchtail refers to the long filament found on the upper lobe of the caudal fin (often broken off as adults). Shovelnose sturgeon are the most abundant sturgeon, found in the Missouri River and Mississippi River systems, and the only commercially fished sturgeon in the United States of America... less ↑

Peters' elephantnose fish (Gnathonemus petersii; syn. Gnathonemus brevicaudatus Pellegrin, 1919, Mormyrus petersii Günther, 1862) is an elephantfish in the genus Gnathonemus. Other names in English include elephantnose fish, long-nosed elephant fish, and Ubangi mormyrid, after the Ubangi River. As the Latin name petersii confirms it is named after someone called "Peters" (probably Wilhelm Peters), although the apostrophe is often misplaced and the common name given as "Peter's elephantnose fish". less ↑

The glass catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis) is an Asian glass catfish of the genus Kryptopterus. Until 1989, it included its smaller relative the ghost catfish, now known as K. minor. Its scientific name and common name are often still used in the aquarium fish trade to refer to the ghost catfish; as it seems, the larger and more aggressive K. bicirrhis was only ever exported in insignificant numbers, if at all. less ↑

The open brain corals, Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, are just one of thousands of classifications of coral. They are named as such due to their resemblance to an inverted animal brain as seen by the human eye. As the name also suggests, the open brain corals are related to the many other species of brain corals found in shallow warm-water coral reefs in all the world's oceans. The different specific sub-species come in an array of colors ranging... less ↑

Montipora is a genus of small polyp stony coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Depending on the species and location, Montipora may grow as plates or ridges, appearing to some as a bowl or flower. Undisturbed, the plates expand radially and may encrust over surrounding rocks, shells or debris. These corals are extremely common on reefs in the Red Sea, the western Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean, appearing as far north as Hong Kong. There... less ↑

In the Plant Kingdom (Plantae), Sarcophyton is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae: Sarcophyton (plant) In the Animal Kingdom (Animalia), Sarcophyton is a genus of soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae: ?? <!-- NewPP limit report Parsed by mw1220 CPU time usage: 0.056 seconds Real time usage: 0.071 seconds Preprocessor visited node count: 94/1000000 Preprocessor generated node count: 662/1500000 Post‐expand include size: 2173/2048000 bytes Template argument size: 409/2048000 bytes Highest expansion depth: 6/40 less ↑

Sepia bandensis, commonly known as the stumpy-spined cuttlefish or dwarf cuttlefish, is a species of cuttlefish. Sepia baxteri and Sepia bartletti are possible synonyms. It reaches 7 centimeters in mantle length; males weigh about 40 grams, females 45 grams. The body is coloured light brown, or greenish yellow, with white spots on the head and short white bars on the dorsal mantle. The fins, of pale colour, have rows of small fluorescent blue spots. less ↑

The Bat star (Asterina miniata), also known as Sea bat, Webbed star, Bat Man and Broad-disk star, is an echinoderm of class Asteroidea (commonly known as sea stars). It typically has five arms, with the center disk of the animal being much wider than the stubby arms are in length. Although the bat star usually has five arms, it sometimes has as many as nine. Bat stars occur in many of colors, including green, purple, red,... less ↑

Members of the genus Metridium, also known as plumose anemones, are sea anemones found mostly in the cooler waters of the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They are characterized by their numerous threadlike tentacles extending from atop a smooth cylindrical column, and can vary from a few centimeters in height up to one meter or more. In larger specimens, the oral disk becomes densely curved and frilly. less ↑

The Banggai cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) is a small tropical cardinalfish (family Apogonidae). It is the sole member of the genus Pterapogon, with the exception of Pterapogon mirifica. This attractive fish is popular in the aquarium trade. It is among the relatively few marine fish to have been bred regularly in captivity, but significant numbers are still captured in the wild and it is now an endangered species. less ↑

Gobiodon citrinus, the Poison Goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean from the Red Sea and the coast of Africa to the western Pacific Ocean to Japan, Samoa and the Great Barrier Reef. They are reef dwellers being found at depths of from 2 to 20 metres (6.6 to 66 ft) and in association with Acropora corals. The mucus produced by this fish is toxic. They grow to a length of 6.6 centimetres... less ↑

Gorgonacea is an order of sessile colonial cnidarian found throughout the oceans of the world, especially in the tropics and subtropics. Gorgonians are also known as sea whips or sea fans and are similar to the sea pen, a soft coral. Gorgonians are closely related to, but technically not coral, themselves. Individual tiny polyps form colonies that are normally erect, flattened, branching, and reminiscent of a fan. Others may be whiplike, bushy, or even encrusting. A... less ↑