Nemateleotris magnifica | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Gobiiformes |
Family: | Gobiidae |
Genus: | Nemateleotris |
Species: | N. magnifica |
Binomial name | |
Nemateleotris magnifica Fowler, 1938 | |
Nemateleotris magnifica, known by a variety of common names including fire goby, magnificent fire fish, fire dartfish, or red fire goby, is a species of dartfish native to coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific oceans. [2]
Members of this species usually have a bright yellow head, merging into a white body, gradually shading into a red-orange tail. Their dorsal fins are very long, and the fish flicks it back and forth. [2] This is used as a signal to conspecifics. [3] [4] As a full grown adult, it reaches a maximum length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in). [2]
Nemateleotris magnifica inhabits parts of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Specifically, it occurs as far west as the East African coast, in the Indian Ocean, to as far east as the Hawaiian Islands of the Pacific Ocean. Within the Pacific Ocean it occurs as far south as the Austral Islands, French Polynesia, to as far north as the Ryukyu Islands, Japan. [2]
It is an inhabitant of coral reefs where it can be found at depths of 6 to 70 metres (20 to 230 ft). It is usually found just above the bottom, facing into the current, where it awaits its prey of small invertebrates. [2] Adults occupy sandy burrows alone or in pairs, while the juveniles live in small groups. These fish are monogamous [2] and they will retreat to burrows if threatened. [3]
Nemateleotris magnifica feeds on brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and sometimes zooplankton growing in aquaria. They should be fed two times per day. They are considered reef-safe and they are peaceful and sociable. They can be found at many online and local fish or pet stores; they are suitable for novice marine fishkeepers, although an appropriate tank is required as they sometimes jump from the water. They will also form schools if many are put into the same tank.[ citation needed ]
Gobiidae or gobies is a family of bony fish in the order Gobiiformes, one of the largest fish families comprising more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most of gobiid fish are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm (3.9 in) in length, and the family includes some of the smallest vertebrates in the world, such as Trimmatom nanus and Pandaka pygmaea, Trimmatom nanus are under 1 cm long when fully grown, then Pandaka pygmaea standard length are 9 mm (0.35 in), maximum known standard length are 11 mm (0.43 in). Some large gobies can reach over 30 cm (0.98 ft) in length, but that is exceptional. Generally, they are benthic or bottom-dwellers. Although few are important as food fish for humans, they are of great significance as prey species for other commercially important fish such as cod, haddock, sea bass and flatfish. Several gobiids are also of interest as aquarium fish, such as the dartfish of the genus Ptereleotris. Phylogenetic relationships of gobiids have been studied using molecular data.
Reef safe is a distinction used in the saltwater aquarium hobby to indicate that a fish or invertebrate is safe to add to a reef aquarium. There is no fish that is completely reef safe. Every fish that is commonly listed as reef safe are species that usually do not readily consume small fish or invertebrates. Fish listed as reef safe also do not bother fellow fish unless in some cases, for instance tangs, they do not get along with conspecifics and sometimes fish with similar color or body shape. Every fish has a personality, is different, and, in some cases, are opportunistic feeders. Tangs, which by most accounts are reef safe, may in adulthood eat some crustaceans shortly after they molt. Many larger predatory fish, for instance eels and pufferfish, will adapt very well to a reef tank and will be problem-free as long as they have sizable tank-mates and no crustaceans. Some aquarists have also had success in keeping smaller fish with predatory ones in reef tanks by adding the smaller fish at night, sometimes with newly rearranged rockwork.
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.
Stonogobiops nematodes, the Filament-finned prawn-goby, the Antenna goby, the high-fin goby, the red-banded goby, the high-fin red-banded goby, the striped goby, the barber-pole goby, or the black-ray Goby, is a species of marine goby native to the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean from the Seychelles to the Philippines and Bali.
Nemateleotris decora, the elegant firefish or purple firefish, is a species of dartfish native to tropical waters in the Indo-West Pacific, from Mauritius to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, and south to New Caledonia, from depths ranging between 25 and 70 m. It is found over hard, open bottoms of reefs, sandy patches and rubble, as well as deeper coastal outer reef drop-offs where there are strong currents. It reaches a maximum length of 9 cm (3 in). This species is often found in pairs and is monogamous. They feed on zooplankton, especially the larvae of copepods and crustaceans. They will dart into holes when alarmed. The populations of this species from the western Indian Ocean have been recognised by some workers as a distinct species, Nemateleotris exquisita, however, the validity of this taxon needs more taxonomic research.
The flame angelfish is a marine angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae found in tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. Other common names include flame angel, flaming angelfish and Japanese pygmy angelfish.
Valenciennea is a genus of small, bottom-dwelling fish in the family Gobiidae. They are found over sandy bottoms, often at coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific. The members of the genus tend to rest directly on the substrate for extended periods of time. While this is a common behavior for members of the family, this genus also float motionless directly above the substrate, which is why they are sometimes called glider gobies. Their resting behavior has resulted in the vernacular name "sleeper gobies", which invites confusion with the related family Eleotridae. The members of this genus are known to be carnivorous sand-sifters; to eat, they simply engulf entire mouthfuls of sand which they expel through their gills. Specialized structures in their gills filter small crustaceans and worms as the sand is expelled. It is this specific trait that makes some members of the genus attractive to the marine aquarist, and they are often introduced into a marine aquarium for sand-sifting. Some of the species are known to be monogamous. The genus was named after notable French zoologist Achille Valenciennes. These fish are difficult to keep in a tank. Tanks with plenty of live sand and live rock are recommended. Offer foods such as sinking shrimp pellets. Fish may die even if eating properly.
Amblyeleotris steinitzi, Steinitz' prawn goby or simply Steinitz' goby, is a species of small fish in the family Gobiidae. It lives in association with an alpheid shrimp and is found from the Red Sea through the Indian Ocean to the western Pacific Ocean.
The Gobiiformes are an order of fish that includes the gobies and their relatives. The order, which was previously considered a suborder of Perciformes, is made up of about 2,211 species that are divided between seven families. Phylogenetic relationships of the Gobiiformes have been elucidated using molecular data. Gobiiforms are primarily small species that live in marine water, but roughly 10% of these species inhabit fresh water. This order is composed chiefly of benthic or burrowing species; like many other benthic fishes, most gobiiforms do not have a gas bladder or any other means of controlling their buoyancy in water, so they must spend most of their time on or near the bottom. Gobiiformes means "goby-like".
Ptereleotris hanae, commonly known as the blue gudgeon dartfish or blue hana goby, is a species of dartfish native to the western Pacific Ocean. It is a reef inhabitant, being found at depths of from 3 to 50 metres, though usually no shallower than 6 metres (20 ft). It inhabits burrows made by alpheid shrimp, but unlike the Amblyeleotris gobies who normally associate with these shrimp, this species has no interactions with their shrimp hosts. This species can reach a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The yellow prawn-goby is a species of goby native to the Western Pacific, where it can be found at depths of from 1 to 25 metres in coastal bays and lagoons. This species is symbiotic with alpheid shrimps. They share burrows with these shrimp. The species can reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) SL. These fish vary greatly in appearance, ranging from brilliant yellow to gray and even brown forms or combinations of each coloring. This species is often kept in salt water aquariums. The yellow prawn-goby can be kept in aquariums as small as 20 gallons. In the marine hobby they are often partnered with tiger pistol shrimp.
Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds of species can exist in a small area of a healthy reef, many of them hidden or well camouflaged. Reef fish have developed many ingenious specialisations adapted to survival on the reefs.
Mahidolia mystacina, the flagfin prawn goby, flagfin shrimpgoby or smiling goby, is a species of goby native to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean from Delagoa Bay, Mozambique to the Society Islands and from southern Japan to Samoa and northern Australia. This species occurs in marine and brackish waters, being found in coastal bays, estuaries and reef bases where the bottom is silty or muddy at depths of from 5 to 25 metres. This species is a commensal with a species of alpheid shrimp, using its burrow as its home. This species can reach a length of 8 centimetres (3.1 in) TL. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade. It was first discovered at the mouth of the Chanthaburi River, Amphoe Laem Sing, Chanthaburi Province, Eastern Thailand by H. M. Smith.
Nemateleotris is a genus of dartfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Amblyeleotris periophthalma, the broad-banded shrimp goby or the periophthalma shrimp goby, is a marine benthic species of goby native to reef environments of the Indo-West Pacific, Red Sea included.
Nemateleotris helfrichi, Helfrich's Dartfish, is a species of dartfish native to the Pacific Ocean.
Heliofungia actiniformis is a solitary species of mushroom coral, a large polyp stony coral in the family Fungiidae. This coral is found in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific region. It is a zooxanthellate species. It is a popular coral in the reef aquarium trade; wild populations are threatened by disease, climate change, and over-collecting, and the species is considered vulnerable by the IUCN.
Ptereleotris microlepis is a species of the fish is that lives in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Discordipinna griessingeri is a small, brightly colored, marine neritic fish in the family Gobiidae that is commonly called the spikefin goby or flaming prawn goby. Occasionally it is mislabeled as "Stonogobiops griessingeri" which is a binomial species name that does not formally exist. The spikefin goby has a wide distribution across reefs throughout the western tropical Pacific, Pacific Islands such as Hawai'i or Polynesia, the Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea. It is also occasionally collected and traded as an exotic aquarium fish in multiple countries.
Nemateleotris lavandula, known by lavender-blushed dartfish, is a species of dartfish which was described in 2023 on the basis of the holotype from Augulupelu Reef, Palau, and twelve paratypes from across the western and central Pacific Ocean, including Fiji, Guam, Japan, and the Marshall Islands. It was previously confused with the Helfrich's dartfish.