Tha Clown Fish

5 Pages 1143 Words

The Clownfish
By: Matthew Parker

True Percula Clownfish (Technically referred to as-The Amphiprion Percula) The True Percula Clownfish is a very interesting species, This species has many various qualities varying from the color to the reproductive process and finally to the amazing fact that this fish can actually change it’s sex. These and many other intriguing facts about the particular species is what makes the True Percula Clownfish/or the (technical name) Amphiprion Percula, such an interesting species to study. Well I think so at least and I hope you will too! To begin with the Percula Clownfish is bright orange with three (3) complete vertical white bars on the body. The first is located right behind the eye, the second, is placed at the mid-body and goes forward. The third and final bar is at the base of the caudal fin posterior to the dorsal fin. These bars are usually outlined in (thick) black, which varies in width from fish to fish. A Percula typically has 10 dorsal spins. This fish (The Percula Clownfish) can usually be confused with an Ocellaris. There are many differences though, such as, Ocellaris do not have a thick black margin around the white bars. Also, the spinous portion of the dorsal fin on a Percula is shorter than an Ocellaris, they have about 11 dorsal spines instead of 10. The two species also do not have overlapping ranges. There are also some physical differences between the females and the males, like: the female is larger, more robust and the male is just overall smaller. The family tree of a True Percula Clownfish can go something like this: · Identification-Amphiprion percula(Lacepede,1802) · Geographic origin-Indo-Pacific · Subphylum Gnathostomato-jawed vertebrates · Class Osteichthyes-bony fish · Family Pomacentridae-damselfishes Subfamily Amphiprioninae-anemonefishes, or clownfishes (www.uoguelph.ca/~laurema/percula.htm) The diet of a True Percula Clownfish is actually quite simple compa...