I'm not so sure that the ichthyologist Seth Meek should have had the Firemouth (Thorichthys meeki) named in his honor. Every time I see this species in action, I think that the species name 'meeki' is a poor fit.
meek
/mēk/
Adjective
Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive
Synonyms
gentle - mild - humble - submissive - tame - soft
The Firemouth IS NOT MEEK!
I went looking for an ichthyologist with a name that was more appropriate to the character of the fish. I thought there might be an ichthyologist named Thorn - as in "a thorn in one's side". No such luck. The closest I found was Brooks Burr, the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. So how about Thorichthys burri? Another ichthyologist has the nickname of Biff, as in Eldredge 'Biff' Bermingham, the Director Of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. It might work, being a "rough and tumble" sort of name. So Thorichthys biffi? Maybe not so good. It might be confused with 'biffy', an outdoor toilet or an outhouse. The Firemouth is too noble a creature to be named after a toilet (sorry about that Mr. Bermingham). Now they got it right with Thorichthys hell-eri although in this case the name is a bit too strong for this species. A name swap in the offing? Anyway, here is a video showing what Firemouths do best. A young, newly bonded pair of Paraneetroplus hartwegi are being challenged and harassed by an established four year old pair of Thorichthys meeki 'Rio Subin'. At this point in time, the Firemouths definitely have the upper hand -or should I say ' fin'.
[video=youtube_share;VAw1cosVSSw]http://youtu.be/VAw1cosVSSw[/video]
meek
/mēk/
Adjective
Quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive
Synonyms
gentle - mild - humble - submissive - tame - soft
The Firemouth IS NOT MEEK!
I went looking for an ichthyologist with a name that was more appropriate to the character of the fish. I thought there might be an ichthyologist named Thorn - as in "a thorn in one's side". No such luck. The closest I found was Brooks Burr, the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Freshwater Fishes. So how about Thorichthys burri? Another ichthyologist has the nickname of Biff, as in Eldredge 'Biff' Bermingham, the Director Of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. It might work, being a "rough and tumble" sort of name. So Thorichthys biffi? Maybe not so good. It might be confused with 'biffy', an outdoor toilet or an outhouse. The Firemouth is too noble a creature to be named after a toilet (sorry about that Mr. Bermingham). Now they got it right with Thorichthys hell-eri although in this case the name is a bit too strong for this species. A name swap in the offing? Anyway, here is a video showing what Firemouths do best. A young, newly bonded pair of Paraneetroplus hartwegi are being challenged and harassed by an established four year old pair of Thorichthys meeki 'Rio Subin'. At this point in time, the Firemouths definitely have the upper hand -or should I say ' fin'.
[video=youtube_share;VAw1cosVSSw]http://youtu.be/VAw1cosVSSw[/video]
