Clownfish
| Clownfish | |
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| Ocellaris clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris | |
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| Subfamily: | Amphiprioninae
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Clownfish and anemonefish are fish from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. About twenty eight species are recognized, one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones. Depending on species, clownfish are overall yellow, orange, reddish, or blackish, and many show white bars or patches. The largest reach a length of 18 cm (7 in), while the smallest barely reach 10 cm (4 in).
In the aquarium
Clownfish are a popular fish for reef aquariums of 10 gallons or more. Clownfish are now tank-bred to lower the number taken from the wild. Wild-caught tropical fishes are more likely to die within a week of purchase, due to catching methods like dynamite fishing and nets with "rockhoppers." Compared to wild-caught clownfish, tank-bred clownfish are more disease resistant and also less affected by stress when introduced to the aquarium.
When a sea anemone is not available in an aquarium, they may settle in some varieties of soft corals, or large polyp stony corals. If the fish settles in a coral, it could agitate the fish's skin, and, in some cases, may kill the coral. Once an anemone or coral has been adopted, the clownfish will defend it. As there is less pressure to forage for food in an aquarium, it is common for clownfish to remain within 2-4 inches of their host for an entire lifetime.
Kevin
Species
- Genus Amphiprion:[1]
- Amphiprion akallopisos - Skunk clownfish
- Amphiprion akindynos - Barrier Reef Anemonefish
- Amphiprion allardi - Twobar anemonefish
- Amphiprion bicinctus - Twoband anemonefish
- Amphiprion chagosensis - Chagos anemonefish
- Amphiprion chrysogaster - Mauritian anemonefish
- Amphiprion chrysopterus - Orange-fin anemonefish
- Amphiprion clarkii - Yellowtail clownfish
- Amphiprion ephippium - Saddle anemonefish
- Amphiprion frenatus - Tomato clownfish
- Amphiprion fuscocaudatus - Seychelles anemonefish
- Amphiprion latezonatus - Wide-band Anemonefish
- Amphiprion latifasciatus - Madagascar anemonefish
- Amphiprion leucokranos - Whitebonnet anemonefish
- Amphiprion mccullochi - Whitesnout anemonefish
- Amphiprion melanopus - Fire clownfish
- Amphiprion nigripes - Maldive anemonefish
- Amphiprion ocellaris - Clown anemonefish
- Amphiprion omanensis - Oman anemonefish
- Amphiprion percula - Orange clownfish
- Amphiprion perideraion - Pink skunk clownfish
- Amphiprion polymnus - Saddleback clownfish
- Amphiprion rubacinctus - Red Anemonefish
- Amphiprion sandaracinos - Yellow clownfish
- Amphiprion sebae - Sebae anemonefish
- Amphiprion thiellei - Thielle's anemonefish
- Amphiprion tricinctus - Three-band anemonefish
- Genus Premnas:[2]
Gallery
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Sebae anemonefish (Amphiprion sebae) and sea anemone in the Maldives. -
Allard's clownfish (Amphiprion allardi). -
Maldive anemonefish (Amphiprion nigripes). It is sometimes called the Black-finned anemonefish due to its black pelvic and anal fins. -
Pink skunk clownfish (Amphiprion perideraion). -
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Yellow clownfish (Amphiprion sandaracinos) and sea anemone off Sulawesi, Indonesia. -
Yellowtail clownfish (Amphiprion clarkii) with sea anemone. -
Orange-fin anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus) is one of the few anemonefish with a white tail. -
Twoband anemonefish (Amphiprion bicinctus). It is, as suggested by its alternative common name, Red Sea clownfish, almost entirely restricted to the Red Sea. -
Clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) occurs in a 'normal' orange and a melanistic blackish variant. The exact taxonomic status of the latter is unclear.
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Fire clownfish (Amphiprion melanopus) and sea anemone at the Great Barrier Reef. -
Maroon clownfish (Premnas biaculeatus), here with a tang, is the only member of the genus Premnas, and the largest species of clownfish.
References
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Amphiprion". FishBase. March 2008 version.[dead link]
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Premnas". FishBase. March 2008 version.[dead link]
External links
