Tag Archive: tropical


2-26-16 Powder Brown Tang from Ron’s Tropical Marine Series

Filed under: CORAL REEF, TROPICAL MARINE — Leave a comment
February 26, 2016

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes)
Family: Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes)

Genus/species: Acanthurus japonicus

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Like all surgeonfish, A. japonicus are colorful, thin-bodied, oval-shaped. They typically have long continuous dorsal and anal fins and crescent caudal fins. The body is brownish with a white patch on cheek between eyes and mouth; pectoral, anal, and dorsal fins brown with blue highlight at tip. An orange band is found on last third of dorsal fin. Yellow stripes are along base of dorsal and anal fins with a blue tail with yellow bar.  In addition like other surgeonfishes it has a (5)razor-sharp caudal spine located at the base of their caudal fin. 

Length up to 8.3 in.

powder brown tang8748590549_6ab4610498_k

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Found in Asian-Pacific: Sulawesi to Philippines, SW Japan in clear lagoons and shallow (6–36 ft) seaward reefs.

Power Brown Tang

DIET IN THE WILD: Algae.

REPRODUCTION: Group spawner.

CONSERVATION: IUCN, Least concern

References

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Philippine Coral Reef 2016

Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/2779042635/in/set-72157608332652056/

Ron’s WordPress shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1aA

fishbase  www.fishbase.org/summary/23375

IUCN  www.iucnredlist.org/details/177977/0

EOL eol.org/pages/225053/overview

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2-25-16 Orangebanded Surgeonfish from Ron’s Tropical Marine Series

Filed under: INDO-PACIFIC, TROPICAL MARINE — Leave a comment
February 25, 2016

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-likes) 
Family: Acanthuridae (Surgeonfishes, tangs, unicornfishes)

Genus/species: Acanthurus olivaceus 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Adult coloration: light gray-brown  head and forebody, dark gray-brown behind; blue-edged elliptical orange band behind upper gill cover. Juveniles less than 6 cm are yellow, subadults become a dirty yellowish-brown. A “ scalpel ,” (distinctive spine) on either side of the tail base, identifies it as surgeonfish. Color marks emphasize the scalpels.

Length up to 35 cm (13 in)

Orangeband Surgeonfish4405089732_995ac616e4_b

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Eastern Indo-Pacific. Near reefs over sand, bare rock and rubble substrates, 3–45 m (10-150 ft.). Juveniles inhabit protected bays and lagoons in depths as shallow as 3 m. Adults occur singly or in schools.

Orangeband Surgeonfish aka Orange Shoulder Tang IMG_6416

DIET IN THE WILD: The small mouths have a single row of teeth used for grazing on surface film of detritus, diatoms and filamentous algae covering sand and rocks.

REPRODUCTION: Fertilization is external. They are oviparous and do not display obvious sexual dimorphism.

CONSERVATION: IUCN, Least Concern (LC)

REMARKS: An important food fish.

References

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Philippine Coral Reef 

Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/2979737382/in/set-72157608332652056/

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-1aq

Ref: fishbase http://www.fishbase.org/country/CountrySpeciesSummary.cfm?Country=Philippines&genusname=Acanthurus&speciesname=olivaceus

IUCN www.iucnredlist.org/details/177991/0

EOL http://eol.org/data_objects/24984776

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2-16-16 Mono from Ron’s Reef Lagoon Series

Filed under: INDO-PACIFIC, TROPICAL MARINE — Leave a comment
February 16, 2016

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Monodactylidae (Moonyfishes or fingerfishes)

Genus/species: Monodactylus argenteus

 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Adults are bright silver with yellowish dorsal and tail fins. Round to triangular-shaped, laterally compressed body. Small juveniles more colorful with yellow over most of the dorsal fin and two vertical black bands over the head.

Length to 27 cm (11 in)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa south to New Caledonia and Australia in bays, mangrove estuaries, tidal creeks, and lower reaches of freshwater streams occasionally in silty coastal reefs.

DIET IN THE WILD: Omnivorous, feeding on plankton, a variety of plant matter, detritus, and insects.

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MORTALITY: About 7-10 years.

CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List  Not Evaluated

REMARKS: Mono are seen in large fast swimming groups in bays, mangrove estuaries and tidal creeks, in the wild.

References

California Academy of Sciences Steinhart Aquarium Reef Lagoon 2016

Ron’s WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-WT

Ron’s flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608440659805/with/4889666339/

fishbase fishbase.org/summary/Monodactylus-argenteus.html

Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/206099/details

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02-07-15 Patriciae (Killifish) from Ron’s Freshwater Fishes Series

Filed under: FRESH WATER FISHES, RAINFOREST MADAGASCAR — 1 Comment
February 7, 2015

 

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
Order: Cyprinodontiformes (Rivulines, killifishes and live bearers)
Family: Aplocheilidae (Killifishes)

Genius/species: Pachypanchax patriciae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Dark longitudinal stripe, ca. one scale row deep, extending from posterior margin of eye to origin of pectorals. Males display two color morphs: red and blue. Red males become less common and disappear completely as one moves from north to south. Length to 5.2 cm (2 inches)

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Madagascar small tropical rivers and streams. Tolerates conditions from water deficient in dissolved substances to water with high concentrations of dissolved minerals, pH values from acidic to slightly alkaline. Bottom dweller.

DIET IN THE WILD: Terrestrial and aquatic insects

PREDATORS: Mostly by birds, dragonfly nymphs and other predatory insects as well as piscivorous fishes.

 

CONSERVATION: IUCN AND CITES Not Evaluated

LOCATION: Rainforest Madagascar MA05

References

fishbase  www.fishbase.us/summary/63019

arkive  www.arkive.org/pachypanchax/pachypanchax-patriciae/image-…

EOL  eol.org/pages/993340/details

Ron’s flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157627949403670/

Ron’s WordPress shortlink  http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-z6

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3-4-13 Mamfe killi from Ron’s Tropical Freshwater Series

Filed under: FRESH WATER FISHES — Leave a comment
March 4, 2013

TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (ray-fin fishes)
Order: Cyprinodontiformes (Rivulines, killifishes and live bearers)
Family: Nothobranchiidae (African rivulines)

Genus/species: Fundulopanchax avichang

Avichang killifish Fundulopanchax avichang IMG_5151

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Africa: Cameroon, freshwater

CONSERVATION: IUCN Red List Endangered (EN)

Waterplanet

References

WordPress Shortlink http://wp.me/p1DZ4b-RA

flickr  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608614099673/

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