Reef Fish Quiz

[Boomer]

I'm sorry,but if you missed one you weren't trying very hard (newbies excluded). I didn't know what half the fish were but I still got 15/15, because of the multiple choice format. Multiple choice just makes it too easy.


Yes, Craig I agree. I guessed at 3 and got 15-15 = A. In ichthyology class it was fill in the blank. In Hoffsland's bird class you had a field test and about a nanosecond to ID the flippin' bird as he buzzed by, even if you didn't see it.

[Craig Manoukian]

Originally posted by mps9506
icthyology

Waassaatt?

[Curtswearing]

Originally posted by mps9506
My icthyology professor would have cringed at the thought of someone quizzing me on the common names only.
Gotta know the Latin, too much to confuse and overlap with common names. Even on that quiz there were fish I called by names that aren't given on the quiz. Someone could "know" the fish by one name and get the question wrong because the name they call it isn't on their.
Sorry just my rant, it's been a long day at work
And FWIW I got 14 out of 15. I don't know the difference between a coronetfish and trumpetfish.

Stop being crabby Mike...JUST KIDDING!!! I got number 12 wrong because of common names....I looked at it and knew it was a trigger but it didn't look like any Picasso Trigger I've ever seen at the LFS so I guessed black trigger and got it wrong.

Here's the problem with common names

Humuhumukununukuapua

Picasso Trigger

[Witfull]

i had the advantage of 20+ yrs of LFS work,,,ive seen every common name possible!

one day for fun i labeled all the fish by latin name and confused the customers to no end,,,summer time in a LFS can be slow and you need to create fun!

[reefjitsu]

You must have done well on multiple choice format examinations that you didn't study for.

Yep, I was the master of multiple choice . The problem with MC is that they are rarely designed well. Even if the tester took the time to design a good test, you still got a 1:4 shot at any question you don't know the answer to.

I guessed at 3 and got 15-15 = A. In ichthyology class it was fill in the blank. In Hoffsland's bird class you had a field test and about a nanosecond to ID the flippin' bird as he buzzed by, even if you didn't see it.

Short answer and essay questions are the only way to go. Otherwise you are only testing the student's ability to memorize and regurgitate facts. You have to be able to understand and apply the concepts as well as knowing the facts.

My icthyology professor would have cringed at the thought of someone quizzing me on the common names only.

I was always taught that you should know scientific as well as all the common vernacular names. A funny thing about common and scientific names, 75% of the time they just state the most obvious feature of the fish, the common name using plain words and the scientific using Latin.

[Witfull]

yup quadromaculatus=4 spot...simple deduction in a different language.

plus the scientic name can change almost as fast as the common names as well. or can have 2 different scientic names depending on who you talk to, they fight and argue over reclassifications and depends on who has accepted the reclass or not.

[mps9506]

Originally posted by reefjitsu

I was always taught that you should know scientific as well as all the common vernacular names. A funny thing about common and scientific names, 75% of the time they just state the most obvious feature of the fish, the common name using plain words and the scientific using Latin.

We were taught both, "accepted" common names, and the latin (and you had better know the class, order, family in addition to genus and species). We actually had a little book of accepted common names for the game and food fish of the Southeast. Most species had three or four common names, a few have waaaay more since some fish have different names as juveniles and adults.

As far as the Scientfic names changing, the actual genus and species doesn't always change, sometimes the just change the family or create a new family. There is a concrete set of rules set byu the "holy order of taxonimists" that prevent changes to genus species classifications under most circumstances. I don't remember much of it as I hated taxonomy like most of my fellow students at the time, even though I appreciated why we use it.
With pretty much 4 accepted way to define the species concept, fish classification will forever be changing as we research more and more into them.

Mike

[Witfull]

LOL...i doubt they will change from fauna to flora...LOL

[Craig Manoukian]

Picasso Trigger Fish, Rhinecanthus assasi

Humuhumunukunukuapua Trigger Fish, Rhinecanthus rectanglus

Not the same fish, eh? Same genus, different species.

[BoomerD]

Yep Curt, totally different fish, even though often you will see them listed as the Huma-Huma/Picasso trigger. I argued for almost an hour with a fellow in the LFS one day about that...Even when confronted with the Burgess Marine Fishes book he swore they were the same fish...

[reefjitsu]

It is a fundamental of taxonomy that nature rarely deals with discrete categories. Only the human mind invents categories and tries to force facts into separate pigeonholes. The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects."-- A. Kinsey 1948

Taxonomy

[dwall174]

I got a B+ 13 out of 15! I'm happy with that!

[Cartman89]

Just now found this thread, pretty cool. 10 out of 15. Tells you that I'm not much of a reef fish person huh lol. Now if it was with aggressive fish...

[Boomer]

Taxonomy

reefjitsu

[reefjitsu]

Boomer, LMAO

*note to mods- I tried to use the smilie that points up at the last post and laughs, but every time I hit submit, it changes to this guy It seems that they have the same code.*