Two small orange fish caught off the coast of East Java in August 2025 have been identified as a brand-new species of shrimpgoby, according to researchers at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense. Measuring about 1.4 inches long, the male and female specimens were collected using a fine-mesh hand net near Banyuwangi by the commercial fish exporter CV Cahaya Baru, which handed them over to researchers rather than selling them into the aquarium trade.
Discovery and Scientific Classification of Tomiyamichthys oriens
Kunto Wibowo led the research team at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense—part of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, known as BRIN—that determined the identity of the specimens. According to the findings published in the journal ZooKeys, the species has been named Tomiyamichthys oriens, with the English name Oriens Shrimpgoby. The Latin species name draws from “oriens,” meaning east or the rising sun, which reflects both the fish’s coloration and its birthplace in Banyuwangi, a region widely known across Indonesia as the Sunrise of Java.
In their living state, the fish display five bold orange blotches down each flank alongside small yellow flecks scattered across a pale body, while males feature two thread-like spines trailing backward from the first dorsal fin. Preservation changes these physical traits significantly, turning the bodies pale brown or milky white and causing the orange and yellow hues to fade, leaving photographs taken of the fresh fish as the sole record of their vibrant living colors. Both preserved specimens are now housed permanently at the museum in Bogor.
Taxonomic Comparison With Japanese Shrimpgobies
To distinguish the new Indonesian species from its closest known relative, T. hyacinthinus—which was named from southern Japan in 2025—Wibowo’s team conducted detailed morphological counts and genetic comparisons. According to the published study, both species share a rare fin-ray count of nine rays in the second dorsal and anal fins, as well as males that grow two elongated trailing spines rather than the three spines seen in other related species. However, the researchers separated the new species by counting 18 pectoral-fin rays instead of 17, 13 branched tail-fin rays instead of 14 or 15, and 60 to 61 rows of scales compared to 45 to 48 in the Japanese relative. Furthermore, a comparison of mitochondrial DNA showed a 3.1 percent divergence between the Indonesian and Japanese fish.
Did You Know? The discovery of Tomiyamichthys oriens brings the worldwide total of species in the genus to 21, with Indonesia now hosting 13 of them—more than any other country.
Habitat Significance and Ecological Context
Indonesia sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle, an oceanic region recognized for holding the planet’s richest reef diversity. Local fishermen reported to the research team that the Oriens Shrimpgoby favors sandy patches in shallow coastal waters. While every other known species within the genus Tomiyamichthys typically pairs up in the wild with a burrowing shrimp—where the shrimp maintains a tunnel and the fish acts as a lookout—researchers have not yet observed the new species sharing a burrow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the new shrimpgoby discovered?
The specimens were caught off the coast of Banyuwangi in East Java, Indonesia, in August 2025.
Who is credited with identifying the species?
Kunto Wibowo led the research team at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, part of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).
Does the Oriens Shrimpgoby live with shrimp like its relatives?
While all other species in the genus Tomiyamichthys share burrows with burrowing shrimp, researchers have not yet observed this specific behavior in Tomiyamichthys oriens.
what implications might further coastal exploration hold for uncovering additional undescribed marine species across the Indonesian archipelago?