©Leonard Low: Barrier Reef Anemonefish
Colours
Distinguishing features
A small orange/brown fish with two dark-edged white bars. The first bar is often (but not always) constricted or discontinuous at the top of the head.
Size
- Up to 9 cm (Standard Length)
Depth range
- From 1 m to 25 m
Synonyms
Similar taxa
-
Animalia:
Orangefin Anemonefish (species: Amphiprion chrysopterus)
Second bar is narrow (Allen et al, 2003); first bar is broad and never constricted on top of the head (Fautin and Allen 1992). -
Animalia:
Clark's Anemonefish (species: Amphiprion clarkii)
Not clear how to distinguish Amphiprion clarkii from Amphiprion akindynos in the field. Fautin and Allen (1992) note that Amphiprion akindynos has a narrower second bar and lacks the sharp colour demarkation between tail and body of Amphiprion clarkii.
Comments
The reason Anemonefish can live in an anemone and not get stung is complicated. Firstly, anemonefish have evolved thick mucous (4 times thicker than other fish), secondly the mucous has specific chemical properties that prevent or reduce the amount of stinging cells being set off and thirdly, Anemonefish must acclimatise to their anemone, rubbing anemone mucous over its body to collect it and further reduce stinging (this is something they must do continually for the more time they spend away from their Anemone the more pain they will feel when they reconnect). Finally, an Anemonefish has to be ready; if it has not developed enough mucous, if the mucous has the wrong chemical properties or if it is the wrong Anemone; it will feel pain.
If a young Anemonefish makes a mistake it will get stung to death and eaten.
by David Witherall
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
Associated with the anemones: Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis aurora, Heteractis crispa, Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla haddoni, and Stichodactyla mertensi (FishBase).
Behaviour
Known to live with six species of anemones (Fautin and Allen, 1992), all of which occur at Lizard Island:
Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis aurora, Heteractis crispa, Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla haddoni and Stichodactyla mertensii.
Web resources
References
- Allen, G., R. Steene, P. Humann and N. Deloach (2003). Reef fish identification: Tropical Pacific New World Publications Inc., Jacksonville, FL, USA.
- Arvedlund, M., I. Bundgaard and L.E. Nielsen (2000). Host imprinting in anemonefishes (Pisces: Pomacentridae): does it dictate spawning site preferences? Environmental Biology of Fishes, 58: 203-213. LIRS catalog number 600.
- Bay, L.K. (2005). The population genetic structure of coral reef fishes on the Great Barrier Reef, Ph.D. thesis, James Cook University. LIRS catalog number 967.
- View all references