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Clark's Anemonefish
Species IUCN · Least Concern (LC)

Clark's Anemonefish

Amphiprion clarkii, (Bennett, 1830)

marine

About Clark's Anemonefish

Clark's anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii), also known as the yellowtail clownfish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes. 28 species of anemonefish live within the Pomacentridae family (Steer P. 2012).

Appearance

Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes that, in the wild, form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones and are unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone, see Amphiprioninae § Mutualism. The sea anemone protects the clownfish from predators, as well as providing food through the scraps left from the anemone's meals and occasional dead anemone tentacles. In return, the clownfish defends the anemone from its predators, and parasites. Anemonefish tend to have a life span of about 10-11 years when accounting for a predictable environment that does not experience much change in water temperature, increase in predation or habitat degradation (Lakshmi Sawitri). Clownfish are small-sized, 10–18 centimetres (3.9–7.1 in), and depending on species, they are overall yellow, orange, or a reddish or blackish color, and many show white bars or patches.

Habitat

Clark's anemonefish is the most widely distributed anemonefish, being found in tropical waters from the Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific. These anemonefish most commonly occupy reef biomes at 1 to 60 meters in areas with host anemones (Moore, Billy).

Part of

Where to see it

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