Question 1

This is a marine fish found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific. Its scientific family and genus names mean, in Greek, to "hold a ship" from its supposed power to stop ships. This fish was even blamed for a defeat of a well-known Roman general in a naval battle. What's the name of this fish? You can give me either a common name or a family/genus name of the fish (or both!!). --Melanochromis 08:03, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

Sounds like the remora to me. Neale Monks 20:26, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

Yep. Remora is correct. The Roman general was Mark Antony and the battle was Battle of Actium. You got 1 point and it's your turn to post a quiz. --Melanochromis 22:07, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 2

Ventilation of the gills in the 'sucking loach' Gyrinocheilus aymonieri is different to that of most other bony fish. What is this difference, and how does this help its mode of life? Neale Monks 09:40, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

The gill of these algae eaters has two parts: the top one lets water in, the bottom one lets water out. This allows the fish to "suck" things better as it doesn't have to breathe via mouth. Answer found at Gyrinocheilus. --Melanochromis 15:10, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Halfway right -- but why does it need to "suck better"? Neale Monks 15:29, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

It lives in strong currents where sucking/clinging with things helps. This is also a bottom-feeding fish that sucks its food from rocks and such. So this gill modification fits perfectly with its lifestyle. --Melanochromis 15:39, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Very good! One point to you, I believe. Neale Monks 15:56, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 3

"Shidirolomo" is an anagram of the common name of this coral reef fish. A group of people in North Africa is said to believe this fish brings good fortune. What is this fish? Hint: if you figure out the name of the people, you'll probably get the name of the fish too. --Melanochromis 16:09, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Moorish Idol? Neale Monks 17:03, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Another point to Neale. You're too good. I guess my questions from now on will have to be harder. --Melanochromis 17:10, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Your question had me stumped until the "good luck" bit. There aren't that many lucky fish. Neale Monks 17:31, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 4

Who's the odd man out, and why: Argyropelecus, Exocoetus, Toxotes, and Xiphophorus.

Exocoetus because they can FLY!!..... Ok, I'm kidding with that. The real answer is Argyropelecus because it's not a surface feeder? --Melanochromis 19:01, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Nope! The clue is in their names... Neale Monks 19:22, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Hmm.. maybe Toxotes? Because its name is feminine while the others are masculine? --Melanochromis 19:28, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Too obscure. Don't fixate on the names... find out what fish they are. Neale Monks 19:39, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Exocoetus? Because it does not have a weapon? The other three have axe (Argyropelecus), bow (Toxotes), and sword (Xiphophorus) in their names. --Melanochromis 19:53, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Close, but no cigar... Neale Monks 20:05, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

I think I'm pretty much in the dark. Here's three possibilities I can come up with;

• Xiphophorus because it is the only livebearer?
• Xiphophorus because its type species that was NOT designated by monotypy, while the type species of the other three were?
• Exocoetus because it was named in a different century from the other three?

--Melanochromis 20:59, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

No, no, no -- you were almost there with your answer about weapons. Just figure out why one of them is different. I didn't choose it from random! Neale Monks 21:05, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, then I'd like to use my Exocoetus-weapon answer again with an addition that the weapons are not only in scientific names of the other three but also in their common names as well - (hatchetfish, archerfish, swordtail). --Melanochromis 21:14, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

So close, and yet missing the obvious! Read the article! Neale Monks 21:17, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Just a quick check. Are you sure it's Xiphophorus, or could it be Xiphias? --Melanochromis 21:39, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, quite sure. It actually wouldn't make any difference (swordfish, swordtail... hmmm?). You've already picked the odd man out, but why... Neale Monks 22:00, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

It does actually. If it's Xiphias, there would be another very interesting answer. But anyway, since it's Xiphophorus, I'll propose the same answer again with another addition that the weapons aren't random but also refer to some characteristics of the fishes. Hatchetfish looks like a hatchet. Swordtail has a sword at its tail. Archerfish shoots targets like a bow and well... with some imagination you might say the fish looks like a bow. --Melanochromis 22:10, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Honest, it doesn't matter. The swordtail and the swordfish are both named after swords... You're right about weapons... now go read the Exocoetus article. Neale Monks 22:25, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Exocoetus has a weapon named after it, rather than being named after weapons. MiltonT 23:14, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

Hi MiltonT, welcome to the Fish Quiz. This is going to be really fun with more people. So Neale, is your quiz solved? --Melanochromis 16:37, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Yep, MiltonT gets the answer. Three get their name from weapons (hatchetfish, riflefish (or archerfish), and swordtail), but only Exocoetus gave its name to a weapon, specifically the Exocet missile. Cheers, Neale Neale Monks 16:47, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 5

Many fish species are discovered each year, however, this isn't the case with families. What is the most recently discovered fish family? MiltonT 17:41, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Lacantuniidae, a catfish family with the species Lacantunia enigmatica, described in 2005? --Melanochromis 17:45, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Comment: Whatever the Wikipedia article says, you can't discover families because they aren't tangible things. You decide to create them. Anyone can create a family and publish it (though not everyone may agree with your reasons for doing so). Similarly, anyone can collapse a family into another one (though again, not everyone may agree with this, either). The only taxonomic unit you can discover is the species, because that's the only one that means anything in terms of actual natural history. Cheers, Neale Neale Monks 18:27, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Comment: I'm sure MiltonT knew this, it's probably just a matter of wording. Maybe it should be "latest discovered species that led to creation of a new family"? --Melanochromis 18:37, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Wasn't aimed at MiltonT, but pointing out the silliness in the Lacantuniidae article itself. Cheers, Neale Neale Monks 18:46, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Correct, Lacantuniidae is the answer. Yeah, I wasn't entirely sure how to word the question, but the idea was conveyed. MiltonT 19:55, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 6

This is a small group of fishes (I can count 17) that share something in common. Some of these are dojo loach, manta ray, coelacanth, mudskipper, goldfish, porcupinefish and koi.

• Why is this a group? What do fishes of this group have in common? (0.5 point)
• Name one more fish that belongs in this group (0.5 point). Feel free to take a wild guess but only one guess per answer please.

--Melanochromis 22:08, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Hint: you don't have to be a taxonomist to answer this one. In fact, some kids might know the answer right away when they see the list of these fishes. Don't you just wanna catch them all? --Melanochromis 22:30, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

So I guess they all have Pokemon based on them? lol.. It appears that there's also a neon tetra in this group.--Terrapin83 23:07, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Good job! Yes, each of these fishes has a pokemon based on them. Example: Goldfish-Goldeen, Mudskipper-Mudkip, Coelacanth-Relicanth, etc. One point to Terrapin83 and it's you turn to post a question. --Melanochromis 23:15, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 7

This fish parasitizes freshwater mussels... --Terrapin83 23:28, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

That would be the bitterling, Rhodeus spp. Neale Monks 23:54, 24 March 2007 (UTC)

Correct, you're up to 3 points--Terrapin83 08:15, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 8

Only two types of fish predominantly live and feed on land. Mudskippers are one type. What is the other? -- Neale Monks 16:41, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Hmmm, is this fish Channallabes apus? Not many fish are actually able to feed on land, as far as I'm aware. MiltonT 17:54, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Nope. This one feeds on land, and actually jumps out of the water if thrown in! Neale Monks 18:58, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

I didn't think it was C. apus, but that's a fish I could remember. I do remember reading somewhere of a fish that jumps out of the water when you put it in water, but the name escapes me! MiltonT 19:48, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

It's a small worm-like catfish from Brazil, known as Phreatobius cisternarum (Fishbase). Other sources may use the names Heptaterus cisternarum or Phreatobius walkeri --Melanochromis 20:45, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Beat me to the punch, I just found it in the fish article. MiltonT 20:54, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

--Melanochromis 20:58, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Well done! Yep, Melanochromis gets the point! Neale Monks 21:22, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 9

"Kiss my so corny hunch" is an anagram of the binomial name of this fish (actually it has a raunchier anagram, but I guess this one will do just fine). This fish is quite well-known as food and game fish. What is this fish? --Melanochromis 21:59, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

That would be Oncorhynchus mykiss, the rainbow trout, would it not? Neale Monks 22:46, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Yep. Rainbow trout it is. You got another point. Congrats! --Melanochromis 23:33, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 10

The goldfish was the first ornamental coldwater fish kept in Europe, but what was the first ornamental tropical fish kept in Europe and when was it imported? Neale Monks 15:02, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Was it the Paradise fish, imported in the 1800s, but possibly recorded as early as 1665 by Pepys? MiltonT 15:35, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Very good, yes, that's the one! Cheers, Neale Neale Monks 16:05, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 11

This fish is not molested by the natives because they believe that the ghost of the departed take up residence in the fish. What is this fish?MiltonT 16:35, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Black ghost knifefish? --Melanochromis 16:39, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Correct, that's another point for Melanochromis.MiltonT 17:08, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 12

Have a look at this flickr image. What fish is this? --Melanochromis 20:12, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Those are the god-awful "blood parrot" hybrid cichlid things. A really good question would be what species were hybridised to make them -- I'm not sure anyone knows! Neale Monks 20:22, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Great job. I find it funny that there are so many blood parrot cichlid pictures labelled as "goldfish" in Flickr. Another point to Neale. You have 5 points now. --Melanochromis 20:27, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 13

Despite their reputation for being mindless predators, sharks generally have a brain to body weight rations not far off those of mammals and birds. Bony fish tend to have proportionately much smaller brains. But one family of bony fish is an exception, its members having a brain to body weight ratio similar to that of mammals, and most unusually among fishes has been reported (by scientists) to engage in 'play behaviour'. Which family of fishes is this? Neale Monks 20:45, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Mormyridae? --Melanochromis 20:52, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

You're too good! Yes, one point. Neale Neale Monks 21:18, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 14

This endangered fish is quite well protected by laws in many countries. In some, it is completely illegal to trade the fish, in other countries you can only trade farm-bred microchipped fish with birth certificates. What is this fish? --Melanochromis 19:29, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

These would be Asian arowanas Scleropages spp., typically referred to as Scleropages formosus. Neale Monks 20:02, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Asian arowana it is. One more point to Neale. --Melanochromis 20:04, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 15

It's been more than 24 hours since the last question answered correctly by Neale. So, I'm going to volunteer to take his turn and post a new question. Have a look at this flickr picture. What fish is it? --Melanochromis 22:19, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Didn't know there was a time limit. But okay. No idea what that fish is, but boy, it's ugly. Neale Monks 22:30, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

If that's not an extremely beat up Catlocarpio siamensis, I don't know what it is. MiltonT 22:37, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Correct! It really is Catlocarpio siamensis or the Siamese giant carp. Your score is up to 3 now. --Melanochromis 22:51, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 16

This fish is not eaten by some South American natives because of the superstition derived from its black meat. What is this fish?MiltonT 23:07, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Redtail catfish? --Melanochromis 23:10, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Correct, that's another one for Melanochromis. MiltonT 23:12, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 17

What kind of fish is it in this youtube clip ? --Melanochromis 23:46, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

That's Osphronemus goramy, a Giant Gourami. MiltonT 23:52, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

Great job. Your score is up to 4. --Melanochromis 00:26, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 18

Have a look at this flickr picture. What fish is it? MiltonT 02:12, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Could it be a Tripterodon orbis? Jnpet 06:04, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

My vote is the "old wife" Enoplosus armatus. Cheers, Neale Neale Monks 08:06, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Correct. Another point to Neale Monks. MiltonT 14:36, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 19

The four-eyed fish Anableps spp. has an eastern hemisphere counterpart, strikingly similar in form and ecology. What fish is this? Neale Monks 14:44, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

This answer took a bit of hunting (and I could still be wrong). My guess is Rhinomugil corsula, a species of mullet that doesn't look too different from a four-eyed fish while also being a surface fish (according to my judgement of the image on FishBase). A scientific paper I found an abstract for on google even discusses differences in the retina between the top and bottom halves of the eyes. It might be the other fish in the genus R. nasutus, but I couldn't find any images of that fish to compare with Anableps. Very interesting, though. MiltonT 15:36, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Yep, that's the guy. It's a very striking example of convergrent evolution. One point to you! Neale Monks 15:38, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 20

Fishes of this family are known for having symbiotic relationships where it lives inside the body of invertebrates. What is this family? MiltonT 17:49, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Pearlfishes (family Carapidae) live inside sea cucumbers, are they the ones? Neale Neale Monks 18:22, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, that's another point for you. You're almost to 10! MiltonT 18:42, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 21

Members of this genus of catfish is said by native peoples to damage their canoes. It also has a highly unusual food preference. What is the genus, and what does it eat? Neale Monks 19:33, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Panaque? It eats wood --Melanochromis 19:38, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Yes, you're too good! I can't think of anything to stump you! Neale Monks 19:51, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 22

More flickr fun! What fish is this? --Melanochromis 20:24, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Looks like an Arapaima to me. Difficult to tell without the head! Neale Monks 20:26, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Arapaima is correct. Your score is now 9 points. Only one more and you'll win this tournament! --Melanochromis 20:32, 30 March 2007 (UTC)

Question 23

How many fish are there in the night sky? Neale Monks 14:43, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

There are five fish in the sky: Piscis Australis, Dorado, Volans, and two fish in Pisces. MiltonT 16:31, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

Correct! Well done. Neale Monks 11:38, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Question 24

Flickr's pretty cool. And so is this fish. What is its genus? MiltonT 16:59, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I am dumb with this kind of fish but my guess is Rhinopias --Melanochromis 17:57, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

You're not so dumb, since you got it right! Point to Melanochromis. MiltonT 18:34, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Question 25

What is that thing she's kissing called? --Melanochromis 19:02, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Apparently a 'hot waffle fish with red bean inside' -- do you mean what species of fish is it? Neale Monks 19:05, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Hmm... 'hot waffle fish with red bean inside' sounds like a correct answer. Ok I'm kidding. What I meant to ask was what the name of that particular food is. There's actually a wikipedia article about this food. --Melanochromis 19:09, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

I see. Is it the Taiyaki food? Neale Monks 19:14, 1 April 2007 (UTC)

Correct. Taiyaki it is. You now have 10 points and is the winner of the first tournament of the fish quiz. Congratulations! Here's some little award for winning the game. This userbox is yours. Feel free to use it anywhere you want.

various fish

This user was the winner of Tournament I of The Fish Quiz.

Tournament closed

The winner is Neale Monks.