ocellaris ?

Here we go.....

Only perculas are clownfish.  Ocellaris are "false clowns" but people call them clownfish just like they call clarkii and tomoto anemonefish clownfish.  We will briefly talk about this at the meeting, but in general it is just best to call them anemonefish (look for Carl's signature) that way you can sound smart. 

Once again, don't listen to Jake.

Adam

Mark Mark Mark,

I swear that after our 10 years of friendship we must have gone through this before.  Haven't we? 
I'm not suggesting a change in the common names.  We should keep the common names as anemonefishes as they already are. 

So not to make too big of a deal of this (too late) but they don't all swim funny, and clownfish describes the orange and black pattern on the percula.  Then ocellaris where becomming common and it was discovered they are not the same as perculas.  So they were called the false clownfish, since they really aren't clowns. 

Sooooooo, now that I have bored anyone still reading this post I will end by saying please call these fish anemonefishes, that way we can all sound smart.

Adam

Mark Peterson wrote: I find this ""ing around kind of mentally stimulating!

Me too

Adam

By saying Anemone fish, are you encompassing all fish species that go into anemones (i.e. domino and other damsels)?  I know there are some damsels that will live in anemones.

Like Mark said, these are common names.  Maybe the common name clown fish is only talking about fish that bright colors and white or yellow stripes (i.e. maroon, clarkii, percula, ocellaris, skunk, etc...) and the common name Anemone fish is talking about all fish species that use anemones.

There's a spell check on this forum!!  That's rad!!

crazy-sps wrote: By saying Anemone fish, are you encompassing all fish species that go into anemones (i.e. domino and other damsels)?  I know there are some damsels that will live in anemones. Like Mark said, these are common names.  Maybe the common name clown fish is only talking about fish that bright colors and white or yellow stripes (i.e. maroon, clarkii, percula, ocellaris, skunk, etc...) and the common name Anemone fish is talking about all fish species that use anemones. There's a spell check on this forum!!  That's rad!!

Hey Crazy those are some good questions.  I'll do my best to answer them.  Anemonefishes is a term used to descibe the specific types of damsels that are OBLIGATE SYMBIONTS which are the amphiprion genus and I'll agree with Jake and say it also includes Premnas biaculeatus .  There are other fish that live in anemones, some other damsels and some wrasse in particular, but they are FACULTATIVE SYMBIONTS and do not REQUIRE the anemone to survive. 

Boy this is a lot of terminology junk isn't it. Sorry about that. Anyway, clownfish is a term to describe the percula which is the common anemonefish that everyone is familiar with.  So familiar that anytime anyone (even non aquarium owners) see an anemonefish they say "look clownfish". 

Jake will get on here in just a few minutes to argue with me (because he loves that) and tell you that common names are just that common names and they should change, but he is wrong.  I'll explain that later after he makes his next post.

Adam

You say tomato, I say tomahto...

I don't get it.  Are you saying that all amphiprion genus are obligate symbiots?  Does that mean that they require an anemone?

Ok, I think I got it (I'm a little slow on the uptake). 

Dascyllus sp. (domino, ect) can enter anemones but shouldn't be termed anemonefish?  All Amphriprion sp should be termed anemonefish (or should this also incude genus such as Dascyllus)?  Only the A. percula should be termed a clownfish?

Althought this discussion is a bit erudite, I do enjoy it and others like it.  I still don't know why it matters...