AMPHIPRION CHRYSOPTERUS CUVIER, 1830

Orange-fin Anemonefish

Original description: As Amphiprion chrysopterus, from specimens of undetermined origin

Colour features and size: Brown to nearly black with two white or bluish-white bars and a whitish caudal fin; over most of the western Pacific all other fins are yellow-orange, but fish from Melanesia have black pelvic and anal fins. Maximum length about 150 mm.

Similar species: Three species with overlapping distributions may be confused with A. chrysopterus. Adults of A. akindynos from the Great Barrier Reef - Coral Sea region tend to be lighter brown with pelvic and anal fins that are never black; Amphiprion clarkii has a wider mid-lateral bar and almost always has a third bar across the tail base; A. tricinctus has a bar across the tail base except when solid black, in which case it has only two bars.

Host anemone species: Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis aurora; H. crispa; H. magnifica; Stichodactyla haddoni; S. mertensii.

Melanistic variation: Fish living with Stichodactyla mertensii generally have a blackish ground colour, whereas males and juveniles that occupy Heteractis crispa are brown. Only orange or brown juveniles are found with H. aurora.

Distribution: Widespread in the western Pacific including New Guinea, Coral Sea, New Britain, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, Gilbert Islands, Samoa, Society Islands, and Tuamotu Islands.