9 New Species Discovered in Bali Reefs

Heteroconger -- garden eel The nine species were found in the reefs outside of Bali, Indonesia, during a two-week survey, as a part of the Rapid Assessment Program (RAP), led by Conservation International. The surveys <a href="http://www.livescience.com/6884-mass-die-coral-reef-triggered-93-degree-ocean.html">assessed reef health</a> and will be used by the Indonesian government to decide which reefs should be identified as "Marine Protected Areas." (Conservation International/Gerald Allen)

Grallenia -- a new goby fish The downside to their findings: The divers found few reef sharks, possibly signaling an unhealthy reef. (Conservation International/Gerald Allen)

Pseudochromis -- new dottyback fish "We carried out this present survey in 33 sites around Bali," Mark Erdmann, senior advisor for the CI Indonesia marine program, said in a statement. "There was a tremendous variety of habitats, surprisingly high levels of diversity and the coral reefs appeared to be in an active stage of recovery." (Conservation International/Mark Erdmann)

Parapercis -- a new sandperch The reefs seem to be recovering but they are still in <a href="http://www.livescience.com/4433-coral-reef-devastation-linked-global-warming.html">dire need of protection</a>. A lack of sharks could be a bad sign, since they are an integral part of the healthy reefs. (Conservation International/Gerald Allen)

Manonichthys -- a juvenile dottyback "This RAP survey highlights how important these Marine Protected Areas are," Erdmann said. (Conservation International/Gerald Allen)

Meiacanthus -- a fangblenny Acting Executive Director for CI-Indonesia Ketut Sarjana Putra added, “Compared to twelve years ago, we observed an increase in healthy coral reef cover in the area surveyed, indicating a recovery phase. That is why it needs serious protection and management, to complete the revitalization." (Conservation International/Gerald Allen)

Heteroconger -- a garden eel In over 350 man-hours of diving, the team only observed a total of 3 reef sharks and 3 Napoleon wrasse – a stark contrast to a healthy reef system where a diver would readily encounter this number of large reef predators in a single dive. The team also saw that plastic pollution was omnipresent and noted the encroachment of fishers on no-take areas in the West Bali National Park. (Conservation International/Mark Erdmann)

Manonichthys -- an adult new dottyback Funding for the scientific survey was provided by USAID Indonesia as part of Coral Triangle Support Partnership -- a collaborative five-year project to bring about the protection of marine systems and their myriad habitats for the benefit of communities across the Coral Triangle Region of Indonesia, the global center of marine biodiversity. (Conservation International/Gerald Allen)