Amphiprioninae

Amphiprioninae is a subfamily within the family Pomacentridae comprising the fishes commonly known as clownfishes. The group includes species in the genera Amphiprion and Premnas, with several dozen described species that inhabit warm temperate to tropical seas. Most species occur in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans, including the Red Sea and the Coral Triangle, and they are closely associated with sea anemones.

Clownfishes are small to medium-sized, typically ranging from about 4 to 15 centimeters in length, and display a variety of orange, red, yellow, and black color patterns often marked by white vertical bars. They exhibit social hierarchies and are protandrous sequential hermaphrodites: the largest individual in a group becomes the breeding female, the second largest is the breeding male, and smaller individuals act as nonbreeders or helpers. Their life history is closely tied to their host anemone, with which they form a mutualistic relationship.

Inhabiting coral reefs, lagoons, and sheltered coastal habitats, Amphiprioninae species protect their anemone hosts from predators and, in return, gain shelter and access to food items drawn to the anemone. They possess a specialized mucus coating that reduces stinging from the anemone’s nematocysts, enabling this close association. Diet is omnivorous, including zooplankton and algae, and adults lay demersal eggs on rock or hard substrates near the hosting anemone, with the male guarding and aerating the clutch until hatching.

Conservation status varies among species; pressure from habitat loss, climate change, and collection for the aquarium trade affects some populations.