Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) are among the most popular of marine ornamental fishes and represent a major source of income for farmers. Additionally, ocellaris clownfish are also utilized as a model in ecological developmental and evolutionary biology studies. Although these fish have been aquacultured for more than 50 years, problems persist within their culture. Of these, bottlenecks in larviculture and incidences of undesirable deformities were identified as significant issues reducing profits for ornamental producers. Within this unique market, fish can sell for a wide range of prices from $20 USD to $700 USD, with unique colors/patterns or body shapes being considered “designer,” and sold at higher price points. This presents a unique situation for aquaculture producers where some malformations become desirable through market demand, while others make the fish unsellable resulting in culls and lost profits. Because of this duality, producers seek to breed more desirable and fewer undesirable skeletal malformations resulting in a marked interest in uncovering their etiology.
In ocellaris clownfish, skeletal malformations appear to be among the most prevalent types and have not been categorized in this species. Within this study, both juvenile and adult A. ocellaris specimens (n=39) from three different locations were scanned using micro-computed tomography (CT) and diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (or dice-CT) to visualize the underlying physiology of commonly reported malformations and to compare these changes with apparently normal specimens. This foundational research aims to inform future research on the skeleton within this species, including exploration into causative factors. These data will be combined with future transcriptomic studies to illuminate underlying skeletal development and malformity etiology of this species with the eventual goal of attaining more precise manipulation of physical traits.