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Related FAQs: Clownfishes, Clownfishes 2, Clownfishes 3, Clownfish
Identification, Clownfish
Selection, Clownfish
Compatibility, Clownfish
Compatibility 2, Clownfish
Compatibility 3, Clownfish
Behavior, Clown
Behavior 2, Clown Behavior 3,
Clown Behavior 4, Clown Behavior 5, Clown Behavior 6, & Clownfish Systems, Clownfish Feeding, Maroon Clownfish, Maroon Clowns 2, Clownfish Diseases 1, Clownfish Diseases 2, Clownfish Diseases
3, Clownfish Disease 4,
Clownfish Disease 5, Clownfish Disease 6, Clownfish Disease 7, Clownfish Disease 8, Clownfish Disease 9, Clownfish Disease 10, Clownfish Disease 11, Clownfish Disease 12, Clownfish Disease 13, Clownfish Disease 14, Clownfish Disease 15,
Brooklynellosis, Breeding Clowns,
Clownfish
Reproduction 2, Clownfish
Reproduction 3, Clownfish
Reproduction 3, Clownfish Breeding 4, Clownfish Breeding 5, Clownfish Breeding 6, &
Clownfish and
Anemones, Clownfish/Anemones 2, Clownfish/Anemones 3, Clownfish/Anemones 4, Clownfish/Hosts 5, Anemones & Clowns 1, Anemones & Clowns 2, Damsel Selection, Damsel Compatibility, Damsel Feeding, Damsel Disease, Damsel Reproduction,
Related Articles: Maroon Clowns, Brooklynellosis, Damselfish,
Anemones,
Premnas Pix,
/The Conscientious Marine
Aquarist
The Clownfishes,
Damsels of the subfamily Amphiprionae, Part 1
To: Part 2
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By Bob Fenner
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Amphiprion
bicinctus
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"Oh my gosh! That plant is eating that fish!"
You know it's got to be a neophyte observing a member of the clown
or Anemonefishes subfamily Amphiprionae, in the Damselfishes family
(Pomacentridae), cavorting amongst the tentacles of a host anemone.
Prized for their bold and bright color patterns, comical
behavior, and ability to thrive in captivity, there is much
disinformation regarding the selection and care of clown-anemone
fishes. This sub-Section attempts to present straight-forward
information on how to be successful with the damsels we call
clowns.
Classification:
Is still a jumble. There are about twenty six valid
species, all but one in the genus Amphiprion; with one member in the
genus Premnas. These are further lump-able into four
"complexes". Ho-boy.
Unfortunately for aquarists, Anemonefishes are very
frequently misidentified in our trade/hobby, and share the same four or
five common names. Notable species, grouped by similar appearances
include:
1) Multiple-striped orange to tan to brown
clowns: Amphiprion ocellaris, variously sold as
"Percula" clowns from whom they can usually be distinguished
by the presence of thick black bordering on the white bars of the
"true" Perculas, .Amphiprion percula. Other similarly
marked species include Amphiprion clarkii, Amphiprion
bicinctus, Amphiprion chrysopterus and the rare
Amphiprion sebae ("C-bay"), more often than not a
misidentified Clarkii clown. Oh yes, and the tear-shaped, saddle-back
clown, Amphiprion polymnus, the Wide-Band Anemonefish,
Amphiprion latezonatus. There are others...
| Amphiprion akindynos Allen 1972, the Barrier
Reef Anemonefish. Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. To five inches
long. Similar to Clark's Clown but has wider white bars and
more consistent dark brown body color. In a Heteractis
crispa symbionts off of Heron Island, GBR, Australia. |
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| Amphiprion allardi Klausewitz 1970,
Allard's Anemonefish. Similar to A. chrysopterus but with a
more pale tail color (to white) and widely separated distribution.
East Africa coast; Kenya to Durban. To five inches in length. Pix
of an adult and juvenile by Calvin Jennings |
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| Bigger PIX: The images in
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"framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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| Amphiprion chagosensis Allen 1972, the
Chagos Anemonefish. Light to dark brown overall, with two narrow
white body bands, whitish tail. To four inches in length. Found in
the Chagos Archipelago and the upper Red Sea reportedly. |
No pic (got to keep my eyes open!)
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| Amphiprion chrysogaster Cuvier 1830, the
Mauritian Anemonefish. Very dark base body color, with yellow
underneath and dark tail. Confined to Mauritius and Reunion Islands
in the lower Indian Ocean. Photos by Christopher Waters and Marina
Peters. |
 
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| Amphiprion chrysopterus Cuvier 1830, the
Orange-Fin Anemonefish. West to mid Pacific; Australia, New Guinea,
Marshall Islands, Tuamotus. Yellowish-orange accents on upper and
lower body and yellow tail. To six inches. Found in three species
of anemones in the wild. Some in captivity. A male and female below
in Fiji. |
 
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the larger size. |
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| Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett 1830), Clarkii
or Yellowtail Clownfish. Indo-West Pacific; Persian Gulf to Western
Australia to Melanesia, Micronesia. To six inches in length. The
most variable species of the subfamily. Blackish to brown body
color, third white body bar on caudal peduncle, white or yellow
tail. At right in N. Sulawesi. Below: Juvenile in Queensland
Australia, adult in the Maldives (typical dark color as with most
individuals found with Stichodactyla mertensii), and lastly
aquarium image. |
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this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on
"framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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| Amphiprion fuscocaudatus Allen 1972, the
Seychelles Anemonefish. Dark brown bodied with broad lower
golden-yellow areas including pectoral fins. Three wide body bands.
Seychelles, including Aldabra, western Indian Ocean. To five
inches. Found in the wild only in association with Stichodactyla
mertensii. |
No pic (and I've BEEN to the Seychelles!)
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| Amphiprion latezonatus
Waite 1900, the Wide-Band Anemonefish. Dark brown bodied, with
three (especially the middle) wide white body bars. Found only off
Lord Howe Island and the coast near the Queensland-NSW border. This
one photographed at the Birch Aquarium, San Diego. To five inches
total length. |
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linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on "framed"
images to go to the larger size. |
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| Amphiprion latifasciatus Allen 1972, the
Madagascar Anemonefish. Blackish brown body with two white bars,
yellow snout, fins, belly. Caudal fin slightly forked. To five
inches in length. Western Indian Ocean; Madagascar and Comoros.
Found in the wild only in association with
Stichodactyla mertensii. |
Got the film, time...
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| Amphiprion mccullochi Whitley 1929,
McCulloch's Anemonefish. Very dark body, white snout and tail.
White bar on side of head isolated by dark area over head. Found
only off eastern Australia around Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.
Photo courtesy of Ryan Dwyer. |
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| Amphiprion ocellaris Cuvier 1830, the
"False" Percula or Clown Anemonefish, or Ocellaris Clown.
Indo-West Pacific; eastern Indian Ocean to Australia, to
Philippines, to southern Japan. To a little over four inches
maximum length. Bred in captivity including beautiful northwest
Regular and Australian dark variety mid-juvenile and adult below.
Orange overall (except for melanistic forms), with three broad
continuous body bars with narrow black margins (vs. thick ones in
A. percula). |
Bigger PIX:
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Click on "framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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| Amphiprion omanensis Allen and Mee 1991, the
Oman Anemonefish. Cinnamon-colored overall, with two slim white
body bars with narrow black bordering. White tail fin. Found only
about Oman in the Arabian Peninsula. |
Wish the Sultan would sponsor me for a trip, even
on his second-smaller yacht's dingy
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| Amphiprion percula (Lacepede 1802), the
"True" Percula or Orange Clownfish. Western Pacific; New
Guinea, GBR, Solomon Islands, Melanesia. To about four inches in
length. Mutualistic with Stoichactis, Macrodactyla and
Radianthus anemones. |
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| A nice mated pair of "Onyx Perculas" at Morgan
Lidster's Inland Aquatics. |
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| Amphiprion polymnus (Linnaeus 1758), the
Saddleback Clownfish. Western Pacific; Ryukyu Islands to the Gulf
of Thailand, Indonesia. Northern Australia and Solomon Islands. To
five inches in length. Distinctive saddle-like marking on mid-body.
This pair in a typical silty/sandy setting in a Stichodactyla
haddoni anemone (also inhabits Heteractis crispa in the
wild), off Pulau Redang, Malaysia, and in an aquarium. Below, some
darker different colored ones from N. Sulawesi. |
 
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images to go to the larger size. |
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| Amphiprion sebae Bleeker 1853, the Sebae
Clownfish. Dark brown to black, two wide white body bars, the
second slanting backward on the upper flank, extending to end of
dorsal fin. Orange to yellow tail. To five inches in length. Most
often fishes sold under this name in the pet-fish trade are
actually Clark's Clownfish. Found all along the northern Indian
Ocean. Below in N. Sulawesi, with eggs and a Haddoni carpet
anemone, and a hobbyist photo sent in for ID. |
| Bigger PIX: The images in
this table are linked to large (desktop size) copies. Click on
"framed" images to go to the larger size. |
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| Amphiprion tricinctus Shcultz and Welander
1953, the Three-Band Anemonefish. Black grading to light brown
anteriorly, two or three white body bands. Dark tails. Found only
in the Marshall Islands, central-western Pacific Ocean. |
Need to sort through my "Clarkii"
slides, mmm
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To: Part 2
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