Andy Gray Lightning Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus)
Nicolò Guidarelli marvellous!
Andy Gray http://www.lightning-maroon-clownfish.com/?p=2026 This gorgeous fish is a Lightning Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) found only in the Indonesian islands around PNG. The value of these fish to marine aquarium enthusiasts has grown in recent years and these fish are sold for up to USD3,000 to US$5,000 per fish in the retail aquarium trade. This has driven these fish to the verge of extinction and will probably cause them to become extinct within the next decade.
Andy Gray Please share on your page and perhaps we can prevent the extinction of this beautiful fish.
Blogie Robillo Which species of Amphiprion is this pls?
Spotted it in very shallow water (less than 5m).
Blogie Robillo Or might this be a juvenile color form of A. percula?
Lee Goldman Yeah it looks like A. percula but the only really, really weird thing is that is inhabiting Entacmaea quadricolor. In the Philippines, usually only Premnas biaculeatus and A. frenatus inhabit this anemone (A. percula hangs with the Stichdactyla and Heteractis spp.). As juveniles, A frenatus have three bars (and lose two of them as they mature into adults, ultimately to have the one large bar as an adult). But the bar pattern here is definitely A. percula-like...maybe this little guy 'mis-smelled' his chemical cues as a new recruit on the reef :-).
Benjamin Vallejo Jr Premnas biacluleatus. The spine cheeked anemonefish.
Lee Goldman This one? I don't think its the Spinecheek. Spinecheeks definitely do not have the bulge in the middle of the middle white bar. Even as juveniles. Nor the thick black line around the white bars (though they some individuals have it, it is not this thick as in the photo). Actually on second glance it really looks like the true clownfish (which I know isn't supposed to range here...I know, I'm making a conversation comment and not saying at all that it is :-). It is entirely possible that it really did mistake the chemical signature of E. quadricolor and 'bond' with it. Always exceptions and mutations in nature right...
Blogie Robillo Yeah I don't think this is the spinecheek. I was thinking this could be A.percula, but the fin colors are inverted! :D
Lee Goldman Yeah its certainly not the model representative :-). There is talk (from Daphne Fautin's camp) about the true distinction between the false and true clownfish. Although I have not seen this coloration for A percula and not in E. quadricolor (this is definitely a support statement for the Spinecheek :-) it is possible its just a dark color variety. As I said, mutations and varieties happen all the time. Now, for fun let's say that this is a Spinecheek and the middle bar is a mutation ;-) OR it is a hybrid (which we know happens with anemonefish).
Blogie Robillo I see! So maybe it is a hybrid. Saw the same cutie again today. :)
Lee Goldman It is a possibility but I think I am leaning towards just a rare color morph or color mutation. Seriously, with that idea in mind its not out of the realm that it is a Spinecheek with a mutated bar. Are there any other anemonefish on the anemone? Are there anemones with fish very close nearby (i.e. close enough that the larger males and females are migrating back and forth between anemones - though most common for Clark and Tomato to do this)?
Lee Goldman Also a cool note. The red Entacmaea quadricolor is also a fairly rare color morph. We have a few in El Nido and given that E. quadricolor asexually reproduces quite often, I suspect the group are clones. But cool to have one in your area. Makes for great photos!
Blogie Robillo There were no other anemonefish nearby, curiously enough. Yeah, I loved seeing the red bulb-tentacle! Spotted a bigger one in deeper water, same site.
Blogie Robillo Btw, I don't think this is spinecheek, because I could see no bar on its cheek in any of the photos.
Benjamin Vallejo Jr It's a spinecheek. Amphiprion percula or A. ocellaris does not stay with Entacmacea naturally. They do in captivity however.
Blogie Robillo Benjamin - I see. But what can you say about the inverted red and black fin colors?
Benjamin Vallejo Jr That's normal with juvenile males.
Blogie Robillo I see! Lee Goldman, whatcha think?
Lee Goldman Well, as I mentioned it is highly unusual for A. percula to inhabit a Bubbletip anemone and that is a strong identification characteristic. I did a search to learn more and found that Fishbase does have a picture of a juvenile that appears to look like this guy (though the colors are very different, the pattern is somewhat similar). On the other hand, I did find a lot of photos and first hand accounts of juveniles looking not at all like your photo (so I don't think this is normal for juveniles and making the male distinction is irrelevant since they all are at birth :-). I am no Anemonefish expert and just going off of my experience seeing them all over the Indo-Pacific region, even juveniles. But we all know Occam's razor. Trying to explain why it is A percula is more complicated than the reverse. So, I am cautiously sold on the Spinecheek. One reason I (and probably all of of us) joined this is to learn, so I am happy to have this learning episode :-)!
Blogie Robillo Same here, Lee! Thanks for your thoughts. :)
Andy Gray Lightning Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus)
Nicolò Guidarelli marvellous!
Andy Gray http://www.lightning-maroon-clownfish.com/?p=2026 This gorgeous fish is a Lightning Maroon Clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus) found only in the Indonesian islands around PNG. The value of these fish to marine aquarium enthusiasts has grown in recent years and these fish are sold for up to USD3,000 to US$5,000 per fish in the retail aquarium trade. This has driven these fish to the verge of extinction and will probably cause them to become extinct within the next decade.
Andy Gray Please share on your page and perhaps we can prevent the extinction of this beautiful fish.
Arzu Karanlık Maroon Clownfish (also known as Spinecheek Anemonfish)..
lives in the Indo-Pasific area and can grow up to 16 cm in lenght. As they grow, they become more aggressive and attack anything (including other clownfish) that approaches its anemone. They are one of the biggest and most beautiful of the clownfish family and for this reason very popular among aquarium fish collectors..
Photo taken with Olympus E-PM1 f/7.1 ISO-200 14 mm
@Gili Tepekong,Indonesia
Stuart Pearce Great shot, and info :)
Tom Hobock Thank you Stuart for the information and the Great Photo
Stuart Pearce Not me Tom :)
Ron SilverPremnas biaculeatus
Sheamus Whelan You beat me to it Ron LOL!!!
Ron Silver Its a little like nature.......the quick and the dead! :-D
Sheamus Whelan I was a licenced aquarium fish here in Cairns, GBR for almost 10 years. I have no regrets as I had an extremely low mortality rate and refused to sell to pet shops. I supplied to mainly researchers and public aquaria. In fact it improved my already extensive dive skills and gave me a much better in sight into oceanic and environmental concerns. It is tightly regulated here unlike other nations where drugs are used. So I see it as a worthwhile part of my 34 year dive career.
Ron Silver My wife and I have spent some very enjoyable time in and around Cairns. We would use that area as our point of departure when diving in PNG. I can remember when Port Douglas was not much more than a widening in the road.
Sheamus Whelan I have seen some big changes over the 29 years I have been here. Some good, some not so good, Ron.
Ron Silver I'm sure we would hardly recognize it now. Unfortunately, that seems to be the way it is virtually everywhere. It's happening to Raja Ampat (Indonesia) right now. I'm truly thankful I got to see it and dive there when I did.
