Amphiprion akindynos and Peponapis pruinosa

Contents 1 Description 2 Distribution and habitat 3 Social structure 4 Reproduction 5 Diet 6 Aquatic emblem 7 References

Description

Adults are an orange-brown color with two white bars with black edging encircling the body. The first bar is located on the head behind the eyes and may be thin and broken. The second bar is on the body below the dorsal fin. The caudal peduncle and caudal fin are white. Juveniles are normally brown with three white stripes. In sub-adults the colouring changes to a dull yellow with two white stripes. They have 10 to 11 dorsal spines and 2 anal spines. They reach a maximum length of 9 cm (3½ in) and weigh on average 27.50 g (0.97 oz). Distribution and habitat

The barrier reef anemonefish is found in lagoons and outer reefs to depths of 25 m in the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, northern New South Wales, New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands and Tonga. They prefer water temperatures between 10 and 32°C. They are usually found near to or within the tentacles of their host anemones: the bubble-tip anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor; the Sebae anemone, Heteractis crispa; the magnificent anemone, Heteractis magnifica; the white beaded anemone, Heteractis aurora; the green carpet anemone, Stichodactyla haddoni; and Merten's sea anemone, Stichodactyla mertensii. They are unaffected by the stinging tentacles due to a substance in the mucous covering their bodies which prevents the nematocysts (stinging cells) from firing. Social structure

The barrier reef anemonefish live together in a social structure within a single anemone. A dominant female is the largest member of the group, and her mate, the dominant male, the second largest. There are also up to four lower-ranking males. There is little aggression from the large female toward the males, but fierce in-fighting between the males maintains the pecking order. The lowest ranking male may be driven out and forced to seek a place in a group within another anemone host or die. If the female dies, the dominant male assumes her position within the hierarchy and over the course of a few days changes sex. In the wild they may live 6–10 years, but captive species have survived for 18 years. Reproduction

The barrier reef anemonefish is a nesting fish. A few days before mating aggression from the dominant male towards the female increases, and at the same time he begins clearing a nest site, usually on a rock close to the host anemone. The rock is cleaned of algae, sometimes with the assistance of the female. When spawning takes place the female zig-zags over the nest site and the male follows fertilizing the eggs which have been deposited. Between 100 and 1000 elliptical eggs of between 3 and 4 mm in length may be laid. They are attached to the nest site by a mass of short filaments. The male guards and aerates the eggs for 6 to 7 days until they hatch. All the fry are born sexless - they develop into males first, and into females only if they rise to the top of the hierarchy within a particular hosted group. Diet

The diet of the barrier reef anemonefish consists primarily of algae (seaweeds) and zooplankton. The dominant pair in the social hierarchy tend to travel farther from the host anemone in order to find food. The host anemone may benefit from small pieces of food which the anemonefish drop when feeding. Aquatic emblem

The barrier reef anemonefish was officially named as the state aquatic emblem of Queensland in March, 2005.

Peponapis pruinosa and Amphiprion akindynos

This bee is 11 to 14 millimeters long and 4 to 5.5 millimeters wide at the abdomen. It is black with whitish bands on the abdomen and it is coated in yellowish hairs.

This bee relies on wild and cultivated squashes, pumpkins, gourds, and related plants. It may occasionally obtain nectar from other types of plants, but the female will only use Cucurbit pollen to provision her young. This solitary bee digs a nest in the ground near its host plants. The nests are known to reach depths of 46 centimeters, but the offspring are usually placed at shallower depths. The bee seems to favor irrigated soils and soils cleared by fire. It may also nest in lawns. The bee will sometimes plug the nest just below the surface, and it may place a tumulus at the entrance. Nest building activity often occurs later in the day, as mornings are usually spent foraging. The squash flower opens early in the morning and closes before noon, and the bee's activity pattern is tied to the flower's cycle. The male bee spends most all of his time in and around flowers, foraging and mating in the open flowers and sleeping inside the closed flowers after noon. The females live in and around the flowers until nesting season, when they live in and maintain one or more nests. The young pupate in late June and early July.

This species is an important pollinator of cultivated crops of squash, pumpkins, and related plants. A squash field with a healthy population of squash bees can be completely pollinated with no need for the introduction of honeybees. This ground-nesting bee often spends its entire life in an irrigated crop field, and there it can face a number of hazards, such as tillage and pesticides. The bumblebee Bombus impatiens has also been found to be a good pollinator of squash, pumpkins in particular.
136+255 135 137 138