Zooplankton feeding by corals underestimated
Research by marine biologists from Wageningen University has shown that feeding on zooplankton by scleractinian corals has been greatly underestimated.
| Amphiprion occellaris with offspring |
| Written by Tim Wijgerde |
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Taxonomy: Amphiprion occellaris (Cuvier, 1830) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Superclass: Osteichthyes Class: Actinopterygii Subclass: Neopterygii Infraclass: Teleostei Superorder: Acanthopterygii Order: Perciformes Suborder: Labroidei Family: Pomacentridae Genus: Amphiprion Species: occellaris
Indo-West Pacific: eastern Indian Ocean including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Malaysia, and northwest Australia to Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines; ranges north to Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. A. occellaris is one of the most popular aquarium fish on the planet. It forms mutualistic symbioses with the anemones Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea and Stichodactyla mertensii. In captivity, other anemone or coral species may be used as a host when natural symbionts are lacking. Eggs are laid at the base of the symbiont. The eggs and larvae are protected and cared for, by cleaning them and providing them with additional oxygen. Author: Tim Wijgerde References: |