Objects of Wonder: Yellow-Spotted Golden Bass

Barry Brown / Substation Curacao and Cedric Guigand / University of Miami
September 22, 2016
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Adult and very different looking larval fish with Paul Simon quote superimposed
Barry Brown / Substation Curacao and Cedric Guigand / University of Miami

Left: Adult Yellow-Spotted Golden Bass
Right: Larva Yellow-Spotted Golden Bass  

Confronted with a perplexing fish larva collected in the Florida Straits, Smithsonian scientists turned to DNA barcoding, which yielded an unexpected discovery—a match between the mysterious fish larva and adults of a new species of sea bass discovered off the coast of Curacao.

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Yellow-spotted golden bass adult (left): Barry Brown, Substation Curacao
Yellow-spotted golden bass larva (right): Cedric Guigand, University of Miami