Amphiprion chrysopterus Cuvier, 1830

Species Identification

This species is the orange-fin anemonefish, Amphiprion chrysopterus, a type of anemonefish (clownfish).

Anemone Host Symbiosis

All wild anemonefish form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones. Anemonefish are unaffected by the stinging tentacles of their host anemone. The host sea anemone protects the anemonefish from predators, and provides the anemonefish with food from scraps left after the anemone’s meals and occasional dead anemone tentacles.

Symbiosis Anemonefish Benefits

In return, the anemonefish defends the host anemone from its predators and parasites.

Clownfish Group Size

As a group, clownfish are small, reaching 10–18 cm (3.9–7.1 in) in total length.

General Clownfish Coloration

Depending on species, their overall body color is yellow, orange, reddish, or blackish, and many species have white bars or patches. Color variation can occur within a single species, most commonly by geographic distribution, but also by sex, age, and host anemone species.

Clownfish Habitat

Clownfish live in warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Red Sea, in sheltered reefs or shallow lagoons.

Group Dominance Hierarchy

Clownfish groups have a strict dominance hierarchy. The largest and most aggressive individual in the group is female, and holds the top position in the hierarchy.

Clownfish Reproduction Basics

Only one breeding male and one breeding female reproduce in any group, and they use external fertilization. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites: they all develop as males first, and mature into females later in life.

Clownfish Diet

Their diet consists mainly of planktonic copepods, algae, echiuroid worms, sipunculoid worms, and pelagic tunicates.

Adult Habitat

Adult anemonefish generally live on reef passages and slopes.

A. chrysopterus Breeding

This species is oviparous, and forms distinct breeding pairs. Its eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Males guard and aerate the eggs.

A. chrysopterus Body Shape

For Amphiprion chrysopterus specifically, the body is short and deep, with a small head.

A. chrysopterus Body Coloration

The edges of the body are generally yellow, while the middle sides range from yellow-brown to dark brown. It has two white vertical stripes: the first sits behind the eye, and the second sits before the anus.

A. chrysopterus Fin Coloration

Its fins are yellow to orange. Juvenile individuals are dull orange.

Tail Fin Geographic Variation

The tail fin is generally white or yellow, with color differing by geographic origin: fish from the region around Fiji and Tonga have yellow tails, while fish from the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands have white tails.

Dorsal Fin Structure

This species has 10–11 total dorsal spines, and 15–17 total dorsal soft rays.

Anal Fin Structure

It has two anal spines, and 13–14 anal soft rays.

Maximum Size

It can grow to a maximum length of 17 cm.

Depth Range

Amphiprion chrysopterus is distributed in the Western Pacific, north of the Great Barrier Reef, ranging from the surface down to 20 m depth.

Geographic Distribution

Its range covers the Pacific Ocean between Queensland (Australia) and New Guinea, extending east to the Marshall Islands and Tuamotus Islands.