Less than a week after the capture of a second lightning maroon clownfish, the Seasmart program has just sent over this image of a third specimen, captured early this morning. This photograph of a juvenile maroon clownfish shows a young Premnas biaculeatus with the lightning pattern covering almost all of the body, affirming some initial thoughts about juvenile patterning of this exciting clownfish mutation. Apparently when news spread throughout Fisherman’s Island in Papua New Guinea that Seasmart would be paying a fair price to collectors for sustainably harvested reef fish, the local fisherman all set out with their net-catching gear and used their Seasmart training to land yet another jewel. No word yet on where this new lightning maroon clownfish will go but if it comes through Blue Zoo Aquatics again, chances are high that this fish will be added to Matt Pedersen’s lightning maroon clownfish breeding program. Freshly caught lightning maroon clownfish, Photo by Guinevere Burnard
April Fool’s!