RRI.CO.ID, Cibinong — Researchers from Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), in collaboration with private-sector partners, have discovered and formally described a new species of marine ornamental shrimpgoby from the coastal waters of Banyuwangi, East Java. The discovery was published in June 2026 and further highlights Indonesia's marine biodiversity.

The new species, Tomiyamichthys oriens, was identified from two ornamental marine shrimpgoby specimens collected in Banyuwangi waters. The researchers employed an integrative taxonomic approach, combining detailed morphological examinations with mitochondrial DNA analysis using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene.

Although Tomiyamichthys oriens closely resembles Tomiyamichthys hyacinthinus from Japan, the study revealed consistent differences in fin-ray counts, scale counts, gill-raker numbers, body coloration, and DNA sequences. These findings confirmed that the Banyuwangi specimens represent a distinct species.

"We combined morphological characters with DNA analysis to obtain more comprehensive evidence. The results consistently show that T. oriens possesses distinctive characteristics that clearly separate it from its closest relative, supporting its recognition as a new species," a researcher at BRIN's Research Center for Biosystematics and Evolution, Kunto Wibowo, said as quoted by the press release on Monday, July 20, 2026.

According to the findings, the mitochondrial DNA analysis showed a genetic divergence of 3.1% from T. hyacinthinus. The new species is also distinguished by five large bright orange blotches along its body, small yellow markings on the head, and, in males, two elongated filaments on the first dorsal fin.

The species name oriens comes from the Latin word meaning "east" or "the rising sun." It refers both to the fish's vivid orange coloration, which evokes the colors of sunrise, and to its type locality in Banyuwangi, East Java, a region popularly known as "The Sunrise of Java."

"Naming the species also recognizes the place where it was discovered. We hope this finding will inspire further research into Indonesia's vast marine biodiversity, much of which remains to be documented," Kunto added, quoted from the press release.

So far, T. oriens is known only from the coastal waters of Banyuwangi, where local fishermen report that it inhabits shallow sandy-bottom habitats. Like other members of the genus Tomiyamichthys, the species is expected to form a symbiotic partnership with alpheid shrimps, although this ecological association has not yet been directly observed and remains the subject of future research.

The discovery of Tomiyamichthys oriens expands the list of fish species described from Indonesian waters and demonstrates that the country's coastal ecosystems continue to yield species new to science. BRIN also stated that the finding also reinforces the importance of biosystematics research in providing the scientific basis for biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and the protection of Indonesia's exceptional marine heritage.