Amphiprion clarkii
No common name
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Pomacentridae (Damselfishes)
Amphiprion
Amphiprion clarkii
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
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Characters
Body shape: short and / or deep. Description: Highly variable in color and several geographical and localized forms (Ref. 48636). Two white bands, one behind the eye and one above the anus. Caudal fin white, sometimes yellowish, but always lighter than rest of the body (Ref. 1602). Caudal peduncle with another white bar; caudal fin white or yellow, the rest of median fins variable in color from yellow-orange to black. Body depth 1.7-2.0 in SL (Ref. 90102). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Persian Gulf to Western Australia, throughout the Indo-Australian Archipelago and in the western Pacific at the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia, north to Taiwan, southern Japan and the Ryukyu Islands.
Habitat Associations
Marine. reef-associated. depth range 1-70 m. Found in: estuaries, coral reefs.
Biology
Adults inhabit lagoons and outer reef slopes. Omnivorous. Oviparous, with elliptical eggs (Ref. 240). Monogamous (Ref. 52884). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205). Associated with the anemones: Cryptodendrum adhaesivum, Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis aurora, Heteractis crispa, Heteractis magnifica, Heteractis malu, Macrodactyla doreensis, Stichodactyla gigantea, Stichodactyla haddoni, and Stichodactyla mertensii(Ref. 5911). Has been observed to share home anemone with individuals of A. sandaracinos (Ref. 90000). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35418, 35420). Maximum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.
Max length: 15.0 cm SL; max age: 11 years.
Reproductive mode: protandry; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy; guarders (nesters); parental care: paternal. Benthic spawner. Sex reversal is completed in less than 5-6 months (Ref. 34185). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and social (Ref. 52884). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205). Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2021-02-03. Resilience: Medium (Fec = 1,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; aquarium: commercial.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Myers, R.F. (1991) Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
Sano, M., M. Shimizu and Y. Nose (1984) Food habits of teleostean reef fishes in Okinawa Island, southern Japan. University of Tokyo Bulletin, no. 25. v,128p. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, Japan. 128 p.
Anderson, C. and A. Hafiz (1987) Common reef fishes of the Maldives. Part 1. Novelty Press, Republic of Maldives. 83 p.
Allen, G.R. (1991) Damselfishes of the world. Mergus Publishers, Melle, Germany. 271 p.
Moyer, J.T. and A. Nakazono (1978) Protandrous hermaphroditism in six species of the anemonefish genus Amphiprion in Japan. Jap. J. Ichthyol. 25(2):101-106.
Kuiter, R.H. and T. Tonozuka (2001) Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidae - Callionymidae. Zoonetics, Australia. 304-622 p.
Whiteman, E.A. and I.M. Côté (2004) Monogamy in marine fishes. Biol. Rev. 79:351-375.
Broad, G. (2003) Fishes of the Philippines. Anvil Publishing, Inc., pasi City. 510 pp.
Allen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann (2012) Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: Universitiy of Hawai'i Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research.
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