Is H. crispa a NATURAL host for A. percula?

[Gary Majchrzak]

'Natural' meaning it occurs in nature. I've seen conflicting information on the relationship between these two species. Please don't post about aquarium specimens or recommend eharmony.com!

 

[Amphiprion]

I had always thought they were associated (though I haven't seen it for myself in the wild). I can see where you would get your conflicting information. Fautin's site shows that they are not associated, whereas FishBase does. As if that didn't make matters confusing, it gets worse where Fautin does include these two organisms as symbionts in her "anemonefishes and host sea anemones, etc..." book. So something isn't holding up. I would be willing to bet that there is an error on Fautin's site, especially since books are usually more carefully edited than websites.

 

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8009593#post8009593 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Amphiprion
I had always thought they were associated (though I haven't seen it for myself in the wild). I can see where you would get your conflicting information. Fautin's site shows that they are not associated, whereas FishBase does. As if that didn't make matters confusing, it gets worse where Fautin does include these two organisms as symbionts in her "anemonefishes and host sea anemones, etc..." book. So something isn't holding up. I would be willing to bet that there is an error on Fautin's site, especially since books are usually more carefully edited than websites.

One thing I forgot to add: I don't know about Fautin's website, but FishBase is peer reviewed, so if that is the case, then there should be slightly less margin for error there.

 

[OrionN]

I agree with Amphiprion. Dr. Fautin book does include A. percula as associate with H. crispa. Here is the full list:

Fish A. akindynos, A. bicinctus, A. chrysopterus, A. clarkii, A. ephippium, A. latezonatus, A. leucokranos, A. melanopus, A. omanensis, A. percula, A. perideraion, A. polymnus, A. sandaracinos, A. tricinctus

I am banking on this as true because that is what I am going to put into my 24 g office tank.

 

[dantodd]

Kylie at http://wish.wodonga.tafe.edu.au/~kwaldon/home.htm bases all of her data on photographs of species in the wild and mentions percula as a symbiot on her crispa page. She does note that she has not seen images of leucs or latz in crispa but doesn't make a similar note on perc. I'm sure that you could email her and see if she can point you to an image.

 

[phender]

I have seen several pics of Leucs in crispa. Allen's original pics describing the species are of leucs in a crispa.

Allen, Gerald, The Anemonefishes 2nd Edition-Their Classification and Biology, T.F.H. Publications. pg. 285

As for A. percula, I have never seen a wild pic with a perc in H. crispa.

FWIW: Although the Fautin and Allen book is very useful. I don't alway trust their field observations.
For example: They say that Latz only occur with crispa, yet in the picture on the very same page they show a Latz in a BTA.

 

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8010889#post8010889 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender

FWIW: Although the Fautin and Allen book is very useful. I don't alway trust their field observations.
For example: They say that Latz only occur with crispa, yet in the picture on the very same page they show a Latz in a BTA.

I have noticed some errors (as there will be in almost any publication) myself. As far as the A. latezonatus, I was actually thinking about the same thing while looking at J. E. Randall's pictures

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8010889#post8010889 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by phender
As for A. percula, I have never seen a wild pic with a perc in H. crispa.

Neither have I.