Baby clownfish swim up to 400km to find a home

This video says about itself:

Clownfish aka anemonefish e.g. Nemo (Finding Nemo film) fish / fishes Amphiprioninae Pomacentridae

27 March 2014

The most famous clownfish in popular culture is Nemo the main character in the the 2003 animated film Finding Nemo. Nemo’s species is A. ocellaris. Clownfish and sea anemones have a symbiotic, mutualistic relationship, wherein each benefits the other.

Taxonomy – Genus Amphiprion:

Amphiprion akallopisos — Skunk clownfish
Amphiprion akindynos — Barrier Reef Anemonefish
Amphiprion allardi — Twobar anemonefish
Amphiprion barberi
Amphiprion bicinctus — Twoband anemonefish
Amphiprion chagosensis — Chagos anemonefish
Amphiprion chrysogaster — Mauritian anemonefish
Amphiprion chrysopterus — Orange-fin anemonefish
Amphiprion clarkii — Yellowtail clownfish
Amphiprion ephippium — Saddle anemonefish
Amphiprion frenatus — Tomato clownfish
Amphiprion fuscocaudatus — Seychelles anemonefish
Amphiprion latezonatus — Wide-band anemonefish
Amphiprion latifasciatus — Madagascar anemonefish
Amphiprion leucokranos — Whitebonnet anemonefish
Amphiprion mccullochi — Whitesnout anemonefish
Amphiprion melanopus — Fire clownfish
Amphiprion nigripes — Maldive anemonefish
Amphiprion ocellaris — Clown anemonefish
Amphiprion omanensis — Oman anemonefish
Amphiprion pacificus — Pacific anemonefish
Amphiprion percula — Orange clownfish
Amphiprion perideraion — Pink skunk clownfish
Amphiprion polymnus — Saddleback clownfish
Amphiprion rubacinctus — Red anemonefish
Amphiprion sandaracinos — Yellow clownfish
Amphiprion sebae — Sebae anemonefish
Amphiprion thiellei — Thielle’s anemonefish
Amphiprion tricinctus — Three-band anemonefish

Genus Premnas:
Premnas biaculeatus — Maroon clownfish

From daily The Guardian in Britain:

Young ‘Nemo’ clownfish roam further than thought, study shows

Australian and British scientists reveal why it was so hard to find Nemo – baby clownfish can swim up to 400km to find a home

Thursday 18 September 2014 02.10 BST

Scientists have revealed why it may be so difficult to find Nemo – baby clownfish can swim up to 400km in search of a new home.

A study, co-authored by James Cook University (JCU) researchers, shows the larvae cross large tracts of ocean to find new coral to settle on, making them better able to cope with environmental change.

“Knowing how far larvae disperse helps us understand how fish populations can adapt,” said Hugo Harrison from JCU’s centre of excellence for coral reef studies. “The further they can swim, the better they can cope.”

He said the results of the study, released in September, offer insight into the long distances travelled by baby clownfish, which feature in the animated film Finding Nemo.

“In the past we haven’t known where they go, but now we’ve been given a rare glimpse into how far they can swim, crossing large tracts of ocean to find new homes,” Harrison said.

He said the larvae moved about but fully grown clownfish spent their entire adult lives under the protection of one anemone.

As part of the international study, researchers collected 400 tissue samples from the only two known populations of Omani clownfish found on two reefs off southern Oman.

By analysing DNA fingerprinting – which reveals which of the two reefs the fish originated from – they found larvae were regularly travelling the 400km distance between the reefs.

Study co-author Stephen Simpson from the University of Exeter in England said it was the longest distance scientists had been able to track the dispersal of any coral reef fish.

“The findings change our understanding of marine populations,” he said. “They’re not small and separate as we often assume, rather this research shows they’re often vast and interconnected.”

The study was published in the scientific journal PLoS ONE.