Amphiprion mccullochi

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Amphiprion mccullochi
Amphiprion mccullochi pareja.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Family: Pomacentridae
Genus: Amphiprion
Species:
A. mccullochi
Binomial name
Amphiprion mccullochi
Whitely 1929
A. mccullochi juvenile on E. quadricolor Amphiprion mccullochi juvenil.jpg
A. mccullochi juvenile on E. quadricolor

Amphiprion mccullochi, also known as whitesnout anemonefish or McCulloch's anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish found in subtropical waters at Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. [2] . It was named for Allan McCulloch, a former Curator of Fishes at the Australian Museum, Sydney. [3] Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict sized based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. [4] They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male. [2]

Description

A. mccullochi is dark brown with a pale snout, a white bar on each side of the head (but not connected on top of the head) and a pale tail. Juveniles have two white bars and the edge of the pectoral fins is yellow. They have 10 dorsal spines, 2 anal spines, 15-17 dorsal soft rays and 13-14 anal soft rays. [5] They reach a maximum length of 12 cm (4+34 in). [2]

Color variations

Some anemonefish species have color variations based on geographic location, sex and host anemone. A. mccullochi does not show any of these variations. [2]

Similar species

A. mccullochi is similar in appearance to A. melanopus which is distinguished by its reddish chest, belly and dorsal fin, with a yellowish to slightly red tail. The white bars are also connected over the top of the head. [2] Genetic analysis suggested evolutionary connectivity among samples of A. mccullochi and A. akindynos. Historical hybridization and introgression in the evolutionary past resulted in a complex mitochondrial DNA structure. There were two evolutionary groups with individuals of both species detected in both, thus the species lacked reciprocal monophyly. There were no shared haplotypes between species. [6]

Distribution and habitat

A. mccullochi is endemic to the south western Pacific Ocean at Lord Howe Island, Middleton Reef, Elizabeth Reef and Norfolk Island. [2]

Host anemones

The relationship between anemonefish and their host sea anemones is not random and instead is highly nested in structure. [7] A. mccullochi is highly specialised, being hosted with only 1 species of anemone: [2] [7]

Conservation status

Anemonefish and their host anemones are found on coral reefs and face similar environmental issues. Like corals, anemone's contain intracellular endosymbionts, zooxanthellae, and can suffer from bleaching due to triggers such as increased water temperature or acidification. Characteristics known to elevate the risk of extinction are small geographic range, small local population and extreme habitat specialisation. [8] [9] The small geographic range, small local population and extreme habitat specialisation (it only associates with Entacmaea quadricolor ) are all characteristics known to elevate the risk of extinction making A. mccullochi of particular conservation concern. [6] This species was not evaluated in the 2012 release of the IUCN Red List

Etymology

The specific name honours Whitley's colleague, the Australian ichthyologist Allan Riverstone McCulloch (1885-1925) who collected the type specimen. [10]

In aquaria

This species has bred in captivity. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clownfish</span> Subfamily of fishes

Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species of clownfish are recognized: one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild, they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones. Depending on the species, anemonefish are overall yellow, orange, or a reddish or blackish color, and many show white bars or patches. The largest can reach a length of 17 cm, while the smallest barely achieve 7–8 cm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clark's anemonefish</span> Species of fish

Clark's anemonefish, also known as the yellowtail clownfish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinnamon clownfish</span> Species of fish

Amphiprion melanopus, also known as the cinnamon clownfish, fire clownfish, red and black anemonefish, black-backed anemonefish or dusky anemonefish is a widely distributed anemonefish chiefly found in the western and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean.. The species scientific name 'melanopus' is Greek, meaning black feet in reference to the black pelvic fins. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict sized based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomato clownfish</span> Species of fish

The tomato clownfish is a species of marine fish in the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes. It is native to the waters of the Western Pacific, from the Japan to Indonesia. Other common names include blackback anemonefish, bridled anemonefish, fire clown, and red tomato clown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange skunk clownfish</span> Species of fish

Amphiprion sandaracinos, also known as the orange skunk clownfish or orange anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish that is distinguished by its broad white stripe along the dorsal ridge. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict sized based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maroon clownfish</span> Species of fish

Premnas biaculeatus, commonly known as spine-cheeked anemonefish or the maroon clownfish, is a species of anemonefish found in the Indo-Pacific from western Indonesia to Taiwan and the Great Barrier Reef. They can grow up to be about 17 cm (6.7 in). Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy; the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male nonbreeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest nonbreeder becoming the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes algae and zooplankton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebae anemone</span> Species of sea anemone

The sebae anemone, also known as leathery sea anemone, long tentacle anemone, or purple tip anemone, is a species of sea anemone belonging to the family Stichodactylidae and native to the Indo-Pacific area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian clownfish</span> Species of fish

Amphiprion rubrocinctus, also known as the Australian clownfish or red anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish that is endemic to north west Australia. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict sized based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes zooplankton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bubble-tip anemone</span> Species of sea anemone

Bubble-tip anemone is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. Like several anemone species, E. quadricolor can support several anemonefish species, and displays two growth types based on where they live in the water column, one of which gives it the common name, due to the bulbous tips on its tentacles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orange-fin anemonefish</span> Species of fish

The orange-fin anemonefish is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes, found in the Western Pacific north of the Great Barrier Reef from the surface to 20 m, to include the Pacific Ocean between Queensland, Australia, and New Guinea to the Marshall and Tuamotus Islands. It can grow to 17 cm in length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saddleback clownfish</span> Species of fish

Amphiprion polymnus, also known as the saddleback clownfish or yellowfin anemonefish, is a black and white species of anemonefish with a distinctive saddle. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict sized-based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male.

<i>Amphiprion akindynos</i> Species of fish

Amphiprion akindynos, the Barrier Reef anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish that is principally found in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, but also in nearby locations in the Western Pacific. The species name 'akindynos' is Greek, meaning 'safe' or 'without danger' in reference to the safety afforded amongst the tentacles of its host anemone. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes zooplankton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink skunk clownfish</span> Species of fish

The pink skunk clownfish, also known as the pink anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish that is widespread from northern Australia through the Malay Archipelago and Melanesia. Like all anemonefishes, it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy; the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male nonbreeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest nonbreeder becoming the breeding male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red saddleback anemonefish</span> Species of fish

The red saddleback anemonefish, Amphiprion ephippium, also known as the saddle anemonefish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes.

The three-band anemonefish is a species of anemonefish endemic to the Marshall Islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. Like all anemonefishes, it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of its host. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy; the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male nonbreeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest nonbreeder becoming the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes zooplankton.

<i>Amphiprion latezonatus</i> Species of fish

Amphiprion latezonatus, also known as the wide-band anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish found in subtropical waters off the east coast of Australia. Like all anemonefishes, it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of its host. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy; the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male nonbreeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest nonbreeder becoming the breeding male.

<i>Amphiprion chagosensis</i> Species of fish

Amphiprion chagosensis, the Chagos anemonefish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes. It is named for the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean and it is endemic to the archipelago. The original specimens were collected at Diego Garcia Atoll, Chagos Archipelago.

<i>Amphiprion barberi</i> Species of fish

Amphiprion barberi, also known as fiji anemonefish a species of anemonefish that is found in the western Pacific Ocean. It was previously considered a geographic color variation of other anemonefish, initially Amphiprion rubrocinctus from 1972 and then Amphiprion melanopus from 1980 however further study and DNA sequencing resulted in A. barberi being described as a new species in 2008. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict sized based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes zooplankton.

<i>Amphiprion leucokranos</i> Species of fish

Amphiprion leucokranos is a naturally occurring hybrid anemonefish found in the western central Pacific Ocean. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict dominance hierarchy, features which are critical to the direction of gene flow.

Amphiprion thiellei is thought to be a naturally occurring hybrid anemonefish found in the vicinity of Cebu, Philippines. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict dominance hierarchy.

References

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  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Fautin, Daphne G.; Allen, Gerald R. (1997). Field Guide to Anemone Fishes and Their Host Sea Anemones. Western Australian Museum. ISBN   9780730983651. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014.
  3. Bray, Dianne. "McCulloch's Anemonefish, Amphiprion mccullochi". Fishes of Australia. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
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  5. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2014). "Amphiprion mccullochi" in FishBase. November 2014 version.
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  7. 1 2 Ollerton J; McCollin D; Fautin DG; Allen GR (2007). "Finding NEMO: nestedness engendered by mutualistic organization in anemonefish and their hosts". Proc R Soc B Biol Sci. 274 (1609): 591–598. doi:10.1098/rspb.2006.3758. PMC   1766375 . PMID   17476781.
  8. Munday P.L. (2004). "Habitat loss, resource specialization, and extinction on coral reefs". Global Change Biology. 10 (10): 1642–1647. Bibcode:2004GCBio..10.1642M. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2004.00839.x. S2CID   84725549.
  9. Hobbs J.-P.A.; Frisch A.J.; Ford B.M.; Thums M.; Saenz-Agudelo P.; Furby K.A.; Berumen M.L. (August 2013). "Taxonomic, spatial and temporal patterns of bleaching in anemones inhabited by anemonefishes". PLOS ONE. 8 (8): e70966. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...870966H. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070966 . PMC   3738586 . PMID   23951056.
  10. Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (29 August 2018). "Subseries OVALENTARIA (Incertae sedis): Family POMACENTRIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  11. "Captive breeding of the rare McCulloch's Clownfish (Amphiprion mccullochi) Updates & Blog". liveaquaria.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2014-08-31.
  12. "McCullochi Clownfish". orafarm.com. Retrieved 2014-08-31.