On Wed, 28 Mar 2001 Reef Fish <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>>>Aren't ALL of the Amphiprions known as clownfishes?  They only
>>>wear different color and size scarfs around their neck. :-)
>>>-- Bob.

>>On Wed, 28 Mar 2001 Krazy Kiwi <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>>Good one Bob .. but you forgot the one with a bonnet <G>
>>Anemonefishes are my favourites for macro.

>I figured the bonnet was a juvenile, as juvenile human beans (leeetle
>babies) wear bonnets a lot.  :-)

Bzzzzt! Wrong :-) I actually have no idea what a juvenile bonnet looks like
.. and as I am going back to Madang in May for the SPUMS conference I will
put my hunting cap on at the anemone patch there for a pepe bonnet. I only
have a slide pic of the adult version of the White-Bonnet Anemonefish
(Amphiprion leucokranos).

I was fortunate enough to have a friend (flatworm specialist Leslie Newman)
who was good buddies with the marine biologists based at the Christensen
Institute which was housed at the back of the Jais Aben Resort in Madang. I
popped over to see Dr Pete Buston. From Cornwell University he was in his
third year of studying the clownfish. He took us on a tour of his research
lab & then out to Wongadt Island to photograph around him while he carried
out his studies. One day would he and his assistant would video all the
anemone patches, next egg count day & 3rd day note taking i.e. how many
missing clownfish off a particular anenome, injuries like bites out of
their tails, etc.

>But seriously, thanks for a VERY interesting and educational treatise
>on Clownfishes.  Having claimed to be a Pacific fish newbie (now you
>can call me a Clueless one <BG>) my remarks here will only reflect
>my GLOBAL understanding of my cousins (FISHES) in general.

I wouldnt dare call you tat! Ive been clubbed by you before :-)
And, I rarely get in to email spats coz they aint worth the time or effort
on some folk who are too thick to heed a warning ;-)

>One point worth noting is that there is a distinct distinction between
>the SCIENTIFIC classification (and naming) of fishes, and the common
>RECREATIONAL names (which are often the same for different species).

<snip of the kiwi shears about bonnetheads V hammerheads>
Yes, the generic and/and or specific name of a fish often alludes to:
* some conspicuous feature of it
eg Stichodactyla gigantea is among the largest sea anemones
* where it lives
eg Amphiprion chagosensis lives only in the Chagos Archipelago (Indian
Ocean)
* may honour someone important in its discovery
eg Stichodactyla haddoni memorialises Alfred Haddon, one of the 19th
century all-round naturalists, who did anthropological research in northern
Australia, but collected sea anemones on the side.

>Even Scientist fight about fish CLASSIFICATION and names ALL the time.
>I read Compagno's two-volume Ph.D. dissertation (not accessible to
>most people) and his books about sharks and got a good feel about
>the historic and present disputes in SHARK taxonomy/classifications.

Too true! Although each species has only one valid scientific name, it may
have been given other names during the past. The Amphiprion clarkii has
more than 10 names given to it. Multiple names have come about partly due
to poor communications in the early days. Many scientists were unaware what
they discovered in the Red Sea, had also been seen in the East Indies or OZ.
eg Radianthus ritteri (1898) and Heteractis magnifica (1830) are the same
anemone .. but to give the person who discovered it credit usually the
oldest name is used.

Compounding things even more multiple uses for the same name have also
arisen. Stichodactyla gigantea are indeed gigantic .. but that name does
not belong to the largest sea anemone. It is actually Stichodactyla
mertensii but many folk incorrectly call them Stichodactyla gigantea. Phew!
Those big names stick dont they ;-)

<snip of the kiwi shears>
>I'll be interested to check on a couple of the RECREATIONAL ones to
>see if fact they are that snooty (snotty?) <G> about only ONE of the
>27 Amphiprions is termed a "clownfish".

Let us know .. Im curious also.

>The fact that there are fishes that LOOK like other species and are
>known to be the "False" variant is fairly common in Fishdom also. :-)

Well I had a brainphart tonight .. I realised that most of the clownfish I
have seen in aquariums around the world are indeed CLOWNFISH .. but the
majority of them have been the FALSE clownfish (ocellaris). I guess they
just look prettier eh with their bright colouring. I went in to a pet shop
that specialises in fish to check with them what type of Amphiprion they
stock. Found that most of the OZ pet shops have the Falsie as it is the
most popular one collected from the Phillipines, Indonesia, Singapore and
Hong Kong. The Clark's, Tomato and Spine-cheek are the next in the queue
for popularity.

>So is in the Snakedom.  The extremely poisonous Coral snake and its
>harmless imitator comes to mind.  "Red between Black, friend of Jack;
>Red between Yellow can kill a Fellow."

So what type of snake was it that we saw at your place? You know the one
that scared the daylights out of the skirrels .. and when I jokingly said
"bet its a snake" I was flabbergasted to see one when I opened your kitchen
window!

>Neither is sh_... , sh_..., sha_..., ... , sharks!  :-)

I have another SH.. word that comes to mind whenever I see a big shark UW
;-) Then that word changes to the phase F... Im outa here .. when it begins
a slow circle with pectorals pointed down & shaking of head.

>Thanks for a wonderfully entertaining and EDUCATIONAL post.

I'll try to post a lil more this w/e .. got the WAUPS Day Dive competition
off Rottnest Island tomorrow and the weather looks beaut for it. Someone
saw a fur seal off the north end a few weeks back .. that is a first .. and
it would be a real buzz if we encounter it UW.

>*I* (resisting the editorial "we" even though I am pretty sure
>I have good company) need you back here OFTEN, much more often --
>your w*rk notwithstanding, to re-make this the SCUBA discussion
>list that it was, before it morphed into something else.  :-)

Ok, I'll try to do my bestest .. Im a very trying person ya know ;-)
Viv