Just over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to see and photograph the recently described Maluku frogfish (Histiophryne psychedelica) in Ambon, Indonesia. (More information about that trip posted here.)
...which is why I jumped up and immediately took notice when I saw the following image on a computer screen during my recent trip to the Eastern Fields in Papua New Guinea.
Julie Edwards took this photo during a different trip, and it popped up on her display while we were sharing images and stories from past adventures.
Now...while I don't want to jump to conclusions, I'd be remiss not to point out the obvious and striking similarity between the two images...and suggest the possibility that this could be the first-ever documentary evidence of a type of coral that's generally under-appreciated and ignored by most divers crying out for attention by mimicking an exceedingly rare and only recently described frogfish.
Or...of course...it could just be a meaningless coincidence that would only excite an easily distracted photographer with a hyperactive imagination who has better things to do but just can't seem to focus for long enough to make any significant progress.