Clowns & Their Offspring: 11-09-04

The day before this clutch of eggs were laid, the female Percula Clown spent some of her time gnawing or sucking the rock clean in preparation.

I expected her to release them that night, and waited for about an hour after the lights went out, but nothing occured. The next morning, still nothing.

Later that afternoon, the eggs were suddenly there, but she wasn't done yet. From the area beneath her stomach, a small nipple extended about 1/8".

She released more eggs from that orifice, although it was impossible for me to see them come out one by one.

The male Ocellaris (False Percula) stayed nearby and took turns when the female took a break
to either nuzzle the eggs with his mouth or what appeared to be his way of fertilizing the clutch.

It is virtually impossible to see in these images, but the male had a small appendage extended out
from under his belly, right at the base of white band and I'm guessing that is how he fertilizes the new eggs.

In this picture above and below, you can see the small extended pink nipple under the female, at the front edge of the white band.

The pair worked tirelessly on their project, ignoring the current and the fish nearby.

I'm still surprised that these eggs are being generated, as these are not a matched pair of clownfish.
The female True Percula is 7 years old; the male Ocellaris 1.5 years old. This is their third batch in 5 weeks time.