ANEMONEFISHES

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AMPHIPRION PERCULA (LACEPEDE, 1802)

Clown Anemonefish

Original description: As Lutjanus percula, from specimens collected at New Britain (now part of Papua New Guinea)

Colour features and size: Bright orange with three white bars, the middle with forward-projecting bulge; bars often bordered with black that varies in width. Maximum length about 80 mm.

Similar species: Amphiprion ocellaris is nearly identical, but has 11 (rarely 10) dorsal spines compared to 10 (rarely 9) in A. percula; the spinous (anterior) part of the dorsal fin of A. ocellaris is taller (its height fits about 2.1-2.9 in the head length compared to 3.1-3.3 in A. percula); A. ocellaris never has a thick black margin around the white bars. These two species do not have overlapping distributions.

Host anemone species: Heteractis crispa; H. magnifica; Stichodactyla gigantea.

Melanistic variation: Limited melanism is evident in fish that live with anemones of the genus Stichodactyla: the margin around the white bars is deep black, and, in some specimens, considerably expanded.

Distribution: Northern Queensland and Melanesia (New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu).

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AMPHIPRION PERIDERAION BLEEKER, 1855

Pink Anemonefish

Original description: As Amphiprion perideraion, from specimens collected at Groot Oby (Obi Island, Molucca Islands, Indonesia)

Colour features and size: Pink to pinkish orange; fins pale; narrow white head bar and white stripe on top of head beginning between the eyes and extending along base of dorsal fin; adult males have narrow orange margin on soft dorsal fin and upper and lower edges of tail. Maximum length about 10 cm.

Similar species: Amphiprion nigripes (Maldives and Sri Lanka) is more reddish and has a black belly and black pelvic and anal fins; A. leucokranos (Melanesia) has a wider head bar and the much broader white stripe (usually teardrop shape) on top of the head does not extend the full length of the dorsal fin base; A. akallopisos (Indian Ocean) and A. sandaracinos (eastern Indian - western Pacific Oceans) lack the white head bar.

Host anemone species: Heteractis crispa; usually H. magnifica; Macrodactyla doreensis; Stichodactyla gigantea.

Distribution: Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, Indo-Australian Archipelago northwards to the Ryukyu Islands, Fiji and Micronesia.

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AMPHIPRION POLYMNUS (LINNAEUS, 175

Saddleback Anemonefish

Original description: As Perca polymnus, from specimens collected in the Indies (i.e. East Indies, now Indonesia)

Colour features and size: Dark brown with broad white bar just behind eye; on middle of back an abbreviated white saddle or on middle of the side a partial to complete white bar that slants slightly backwards, extending onto middle and rear parts of dorsal fin; caudal fin mainly dark brown with broad whitish margins, the dark part tapering in width posteriorly; breast and belly either yellow orange or dark brown. Maximum length about 120 mm.

Similar species: Amphiprion sebae (Indian Ocean) has a yellow tail.

Host anemone species: Heteractis crispa; Stichodactyla haddoni

Melanistic variation: Fish associated with Heteractis crispa are usually entirely dark except for the white bars and caudal fin margin and tannish snout.

Distribution: Indo-Malayan Archipelago northwards to the Ryukyu Islands; also reported from the Northern Territory, Australia.

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AMPHIPRION RUBROCINCTUS RICHARDSON, 1842

Australian Anemonefish

Original description: As Amphiprion rubrocinctus, from specimens collected at Depuch Island, Western Australia

Colour features and size: Dark brown or blackish on sides with single pale (white to pink) bar on head; head bar often poorly developed in adults and lacking pronounced black margin; snout, breast, belly, and fins red. Maximum length about 120 mm.

Similar species: Amphiprion frenatus (South China Sea to Japan) is similar in colour, but males of that species are entirely bright red except for the head bar, and females have a more vivid white head bar with a narrow black margin (lacking in A. rubrocinctus). The distributions of these species do not overlap.

Host anemone species: Usually Entacmaea quadricolor; Stichodactyla gigantea.

Distribution: Northwestern Australia.

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AMPHIPRION SANDARACINOS ALLEN, 1972

Orange Anemonefish

Original description: As Amphiprion sandaracinos, from specimens collected in the Philippines

Colour features and size: Bright orange with white mid-dorsal stripe between middle of snout and upper base of tail; no white bars on head and body. Maximum length about 13 cm.

Similar species: Amphiprion akallopisos (Indian Ocean) tends to be more pink than orange, and its mid-dorsal stripe usually does not reach the upper lip as in A. sandaracinos. Teeth of the two species differ in shape (flat-topped in A. akallopisos and conical in A. sandaracinos). Amphiprion leucokranos (Melanesia) has a similar orange colouration, but possesses a head bar and teardrop shaped mark on top of the head.

Host anemone species: Heteractis crispa, Stichodactyla mertensii.

Distribution: Christmas Island and Western Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Melanesia, Philippines, and northwards to the Ryukyu Islands.

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AMPHIPRION SEBAE BLEEKER, 1853

Sebae Anemonefish

Original description: As Amphiprion sebae, from specimens collected at Java (an island of Indonesia)

Colour features and size: Dark brown to blackish with two white bars, the mid-body bar slanting slightly backwards and extending onto rear part of dorsal fin; snout, breast, and belly often yellow orange; tail yellow or orange. Maximum length about 140 mm.

Similar species: Amphiprion polymnus (Indo-Australian Archipelago to Japan) is similar, but has a distinctive dark, wedge-shaped mark covering most of the tail.

Host anemone species: Stichodactyla haddoni.

Melanistic variation: Some individuals are entirely dark brown to blackish on the body (except for white bars), lacking yellow-orange colour on the snout, breast, and belly. It is not known if the variation is associated with a particular anemone host.

Distribution: Northern Indian Ocean including Java, Sumatra, Andaman Islands, India, Sri Lanka, Maldive Islands, and southern Arabian Peninsula.

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AMPHIPRION THIELLEI BURGESS, 1981

Thielle's Anemonefish

Original description: As Amphiprion thiellei, from specimens of unknown origin (via a pet shop)

Colour features and size: Reddish-orange with single, relatively narrow white head bar; also small white saddle on top edge of tail base. Maximum length 65 mm.

Similar species: Amphiprion perideraion (eastern Indian - western Pacific oceans) is pink or pinkish-orange without the reddish hue, and has a white stripe along the base of the dorsal fin and down the middle of the forehead. Amphiprion nigripes (Maldives and Sri Lanka) has a black belly, pelvic fins, and anal fin.

Host anemone species: unknown

Distribution: The species was described from two specimens obtained from a pet dealer; their origin is uncertain, although they are believed to have been collected in the Philippines. The species appears to be distinctive in colouration and morphology (especially a low gill-raker count), but until more specimens are studied, its status as a valid species is provisional: it might represent a rare variant of another species or a hybrid. No other specimens have been seen since the two original fish were obtained.

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AMPHIPRION TRICINCTUS SCHULTZ AND WELANDER, 1953

Three-Band Anemonefish

Original description: As Amphiprion tricinctus, from specimens collected at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands

Colour features and size: Black or dark brown with two or three white bars; snout, breast, belly, pelvic fins, and anal fin frequently yellow-orange; tail dark brown or black. Maximum length about 13 cm.

Similar species: Amphiprion chrysogaster (Mauritius) and A. fuscocaudatus (Seychelles) both have a combination of three white bars and a dark tail, but there are broad gaps among the distributions of the three species. Amphiprion fuscocaudatus differs in having dark streaks radiating from the basal black area on the tail (the tail of A. tricinctus is uniformly dark ); A. chrysogaster has a wider white bar across the tail base (more than three scales wide compared to fewer than three in A. tricinctus). Both A. chrysogaster and A. fuscocaudatus tend to be more yellow on the breast, belly, and pelvic and anal fins, in contrast to the orange colour of A. tricinctus. The two Indian Ocean species do not possess a melanistic variety (see below).

Host anemone species: Entacmaea quadricolor; Heteractis aurora; H. crispa; Stichodactyla mertensii.

Melanistic variation: Fish associated with Stichodactyla mertensii are entirely black or dark brown with either two or three white bars.

Distribution: Marshall Islands in the central-western Pacific Ocean.

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PREMNAS BIACULEATUS (BLOCH, 1790)

Spine-cheek Anemonefish

Original description: As Chaetodon biaculeatus, from specimens collected in the East Indies (now Indonesia)

Colour features and size: Bright red to brownish-red with three relatively narrow white or grey bars; all fins same colour as body; cheek usually with pair of long spines. Maximum length about 160 mm. Males much smaller (usually less than 60-70 mm) and brighter red than females, with brilliant white stripes; female bars generally grey, but can be "switched" rapidly to white if fish is provoked. Fish from Sumatra possess yellow bars.

Similar species: None: the cheek spines, uniformly bright red body and fin colour, and narrow white bars separate this from all other anemonefishes.

Host anemone species: Entacmaea quadricolor (usually solitary form)

Distribution: Indo-Malayan Archipelago to northern Queensland.

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DASCYLLUS TRIMACULATUS R