Amphiprion

Amphiprion is a genus of fish in the family Pomacentridae, commonly known as clownfish or anemonefish. It comprises about 30 species that inhabit warm, shallow waters in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea and eastern Africa to the central Pacific and northern Australia. They are typically associated with sea anemones on coral reefs and rocky areas.

Clownfish form a mutualistic relationship with sea anemones, gaining protection from predators inside the stinging tentacles, while the anemone benefits from nutrients in the fish’s waste and from prey captured by the clownfish. Amphiprion species exhibit a social hierarchy in which the largest individual is female, the next largest is the breeding male, and other members are non-breeding subordinates. They are protandrous sequential hermaphrodites, meaning the breeding male can become female if the dominant female dies, with another individual taking the breeding male role.

These fishes are small to medium-sized, typically about 8 to 17 centimeters in length. They are omnivorous, feeding on algae, zooplankton, and small invertebrates. Reproduction involves seasonal or opportunistic spawning near the host anemone; a pair lays eggs on a flat surface close to the anemone, and the male guards and aerates the eggs until hatching, after which the larvae are released into the water column.

Notable species include Amphiprion ocellaris (false clownfish) and Amphiprion percula (orange clownfish). Amphiprion species are popular in reef aquariums and have become widely known through popular media.