Madagascar White Margin Anemonefish

[ThRoewer]

Got these guys today:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bZrVKRSLRks" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uYGhfM_8ydo" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_C64Oc-ygHQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I had ordered a pair of these from Jordan on November 2nd of last year but due to a couple of snafus only got them now.

 

[ronalvio]

Wow nice and who is Jordan


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[ThRoewer]

Wow nice and who is Jordan


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Jordan Yallen, owner of Among the Reef, a high end fish and coral (online) store.

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[Jamie1210]

Those are beautiful! I've never even heard of these anemonefish before.

Btw, are those mini haddoni carpets in each flowerpot??

 

[ThRoewer]

Those are beautiful! I've never even heard of these anemonefish before.

Btw, are those mini haddoni carpets in each flowerpot??

There are actually 3 different species or subspecies of these, but only the first listed is currently recognized:

- A. latifasciatus (Northwest Madagascar, Mayotte, Comoros)
- A. cf. latifasciatus White Margin (Northeast Madagascar)
- A. cf. latifasciatus Yellow Margin (Southwest Madagascar)

The Anemone is a large green BTA (one, the other is a reflection).

 

[ThRoewer]

More videos of the pair while they settle in:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZKe-bmQqYOA" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Feeding:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gAt6Ce4x3JI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

These are 2 Pairs AC in Hayward had 2 weeks ago:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FGaUjqRe_ys" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[traveller7]

Looking good. Nice to see some of the unobtainable varieties. Good luck and hope they produce many more

 

[ThRoewer]

They eat now like there will be no tomorrow:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VB1ycqrQJYU" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Unfortunately, it looks like I got to pull the anemone and treat it again...

 

[this is me]

Beautiful.
I was actually look at a pair on ATR but was too late.

 

[LargeAngels]

How are they doing?

Is that Hikari mysis you are feeding them?

 

[ThRoewer]

How are they doing?

Is that Hikari mysis you are feeding them?

Doing great. Just a bit rough on the poor anemone.
And yes, it's Hikari Mysis.

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[LargeAngels]

Hikari mysis and pellets are some of my favorite.

 

[ThRoewer]

Playing Pac-Man with flakes:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BqSpf4EqP24" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[ThRoewer]

I probably have to pull the poor anemone. These guys are way to rough on it.

 

[ReefMonkey714]

Hey Thomas, this is the pair I got. Doing good so far. Really like them.


https://youtu.be/OaQoijP3bJg

 

[ThRoewer]

Video of them in their new tank:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J2CsuQ2KXg4" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

At some point they will get a larger tank but this was the only suitable one I had free right now.

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[Yuri Barros]

nice pair......

 

[ThRoewer]

nice pair......

Took me almost 4 months until they had a pair I liked.

Also, this is most likely a currently undescribed species. They are lumped in with A. latifasciatus but their coloration is distinctly different from the actual A. latifasciatus and the third, "Yellow Margin Latifasciatus"
They all share a distinctly tall and triangular-shaped hard-rayed dorsal fin that distinguishes them from all other Anemonefish species and especially the other species in the African/Indian clade.

 

[Yuri Barros]

they are (Amphiprion allardi) evolution..........radiation........colonizing places where the Sea Currents transport Larvae..........

Evolution in the Allard´s /Latifasciatus group start with Allard´s in African Coats.......and Allard´s have White tail..........

Allard´s

Allard´s have a small yellow triangle at the base of caudal peduncle..........

curiouslly Madagascar Sea Currents make small recirculating pattersns and go from the South to North.........

Fishes from South madagascar have White tail with yellow borders....and the bars are a little thick than Allard´s....like Toliara Reef at South Madagascar........

see that the small yellow triangle founded in Allard´s...grows......and extend to the border of the tail......in these South Madagascar fishes....

then the Sea Currents goes to North........Comores and Northwest Madagascar........

in these places the tail turn to solid yellow color.......

Mayotte

then the thing happens.....as they go to Northeast Madagascar and Comores too.....some transluscent margin starts to appears.......and the bands start to be thicker....

also the soft part of the dorsal fin start to turn White.......this is from Mayotte....Comores....

finally at the region of Masoala National Park region...........you see the true White Margins......with a very thick bands........

the general coloratio is light brown........ersonally I like this brown coloration....is beautiful.......

all these fishes belongs to Allard´s/Latifasciatus Complex.......

its a gradative evolutionary process........that have the Sea Currents playing a big rule......

from African Coast North to South (Allard´s).......then to South to North in Madagascar (Latifasciatus)..........

 

[ThRoewer]

they are (Amphiprion allardi) evolution..........radiation........colonizing places where the Sea Currents transport Larvae..........

Evolution in the Allard´s /Latifasciatus group start with Allard´s in African Coats.......and Allard´s have White tail..........

Allard´s

Allard´s have a small yellow triangle at the base of caudal peduncle..........

curiouslly Madagascar Sea Currents make small recirculating pattersns and go from the South to North.........

Fishes from South madagascar have White tail with yellow borders....and the bars are a little thick than Allard´s....like Toliara Reef at South Madagascar........

see that the small yellow triangle founded in Allard´s...grows......and extend to the border of the tail......in these South Madagascar fishes....

then the Sea Currents goes to North........Comores and Northwest Madagascar........

in these places the tail turn to solid yellow color.......

Mayotte

then the thing happens.....as they go to Northeast Madagascar and Comores too.....some transluscent margin starts to appears.......and the bands start to be thicker....

also the soft part of the dorsal fin start to turn White.......this is from Mayotte....Comores....

finally at the region of Masoala National Park region...........you see the true White Margins......with a very thick bands........

the general coloratio is light brown........ersonally I like this brown coloration....is beautiful.......

all these fishes belongs to Allard´s/Latifasciatus Complex.......

its a gradative evolutionary process........that have the Sea Currents playing a big rule......

from African Coast North to South (Allard´s).......then to South to North in Madagascar (Latifasciatus)..........

Genetics and appearance say something different:

During the last major glacial periods there was a large island chain northeast of Madagascar which is now known as the Mascarene Plateau:

This sunken island chain seems to be where the African/Indian clade radiated out from after arriving from the coral triangle. This island chain would also have caused a significant change in sea currents which would have been significantly different from what we have today.
A. allardi and A. bicinctus are on one branch and the "latifasciatus" another which branced apart before allardi and bicinctus split.

At some point allardi formed hybrids with the north Madagascan "latifaciatus" and the resulting species is what we now have as the true latifasciatus in southwest Madagascar.

Appearance and genetics point to this route.