Two wild Amphiprion ocellaris from the Philippines were recently collected with a ‘natural’ mis-barred Picasso pattern. People who have seen man made clownfish such as the Picasso, Snowflake, or the Platinum varieties may easily overlook unusual clownfish with a small aberrant stripe pattern. But these wild caught clownfish with natural aberrations are something special, especially to a clownfish breeder who could crossbreed existing lineages with wild mutations to improve the bloodline overall.

The Ocellaris clownfish pictured below has a wide white blotch which is not shown as a typical bar and the specimen above has a white line linking between two stripes. Both ocellaris clown were imported from the Philippines, all mixed up in a tank with hundred of clowns together in a wholesaler tank. It takes time to spot one specimen with an unusual pattern, but it was sure worth it! Perhaps you too could find one if you want to create your own bloodline or developed a certain strain with an unusual pattern that no one has ever seen before. Try looking for the unusual wild ocellaris next time and breed it. You may come up with an unexpected result!