Barrier Reef Anemonefish
Encyclopedia
The Barrier Reef Anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos, is an anemonefish of the family
Pomacentridae
. It is native to reefs and marine lagoons of the Western Pacific
.
. The caudal peduncle and caudal fin are white. Juveniles are normally brown with three white stripes. In sub-adults the colouring changes to a dull yellow with two white stripes. They have 10 to 11 dorsal spines and 2 anal spines. They reach a maximum length of 9 cm (3½ in) and weigh on average 27.50 g (0.97 oz).
s and outer reefs to depths of 25 m in the Great Barrier Reef
, Coral Sea
, northern New South Wales
, New Caledonia
, the Loyalty Islands
and Tonga
. They prefer water temperatures between 10 and 32°C. They are usually found near to or within the tentacles of their host anemones
: the Bubble-tip anemone
, Entacmaea quadricolor; the Sebae anemone
, Heteractis crispa; the Magnificent Anemone
, Heteractis magnifica; the White Beaded Anemone, Heteractis aurora; the Green Carpet Anemone, Stichodactyla haddoni; and Merten's Sea Anemone
, Stichodactyla mertensii. They are unaffected by the stinging tentacles due to a substance in the mucous covering their bodies which prevents the nematocysts (stinging cells) from firing.
, sometimes with the assistance of the female. When spawning takes place the female zig-zags over the nest site and the male follows fertilizing the eggs which have been deposited. Between 100 and 1000 elliptical eggs of between 3 and 4 mm in length may be laid. They are attached to the nest site by a mass of short filaments. The male guards the nest for 6 to 7 days until the eggs hatch. All the fry are born sexless - they develop into males first, and into females only if they rise to the top of the hierarchy within a particular hosted group.
. The dominant pair in the social hierarchy tend to travel farther from the host anemone in order to find food. The host anemone may benefit from small pieces of food which the anemonefish drop when feeding.
in March, 2005.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pomacentridae
Pomacentridae
Pomacentridae are a family of perciform fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. They are primarily marine, while a few species inhabit freshwater and brackish environments . They are noted for their hardy constitutions and territoriality...
. It is native to reefs and marine lagoons of the Western Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
.
Description
Adults are an orange-brown color with two white bars with black edging encircling the body. The first bar is located on the head behind the eyes and may be thin and broken. The second bar is on the body below the dorsal finDorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
. The caudal peduncle and caudal fin are white. Juveniles are normally brown with three white stripes. In sub-adults the colouring changes to a dull yellow with two white stripes. They have 10 to 11 dorsal spines and 2 anal spines. They reach a maximum length of 9 cm (3½ in) and weigh on average 27.50 g (0.97 oz).
Distribution and habitat
The Barrier Reef Anemonefish is found in lagoonLagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
s and outer reefs to depths of 25 m in the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
, Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
, northern New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, the Loyalty Islands
Loyalty Islands
The Loyalty Islands are an archipelago in the Pacific. They are part of the French territory of New Caledonia, whose mainland is away. They form the Loyalty Islands Province , one of the three provinces of New Caledonia...
and Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
. They prefer water temperatures between 10 and 32°C. They are usually found near to or within the tentacles of their host anemones
Sea anemone
Sea anemones are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Zoantharia. Anthozoa often have large polyps that allow for digestion of larger...
: the Bubble-tip anemone
Bubble-tip anemone
The bubble-tip anemone , also known as the bubble tip anemone, bubble anemone or bulb anemone, is a species of sea anemone of Indo-Pacific origin. In the wild, this anemone is a natural host of several species of anemonefishes, including the Cinnamon , Tomato , Orange-fin The bubble-tip anemone...
, Entacmaea quadricolor; the Sebae anemone
Sebae anemone
The sebae anemone is a species of sea anemone from the northern Indian Ocean, including India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Some species of anemonefishes associate with it, including the Cinnamon , Oman , Orange skunk , Orange , and several more. In contrast, the Sebae clownfish The sebae anemone...
, Heteractis crispa; the Magnificent Anemone
Heteractis magnifica
Heteractis magnifica, also known by the common names magnificent sea anemone or Ritteri anemone, is a species of sea anemone that lives in the Indo-Pacific area, and can grow up to 1 metre in diameter in the wild. It can be kept in aquaria but is considered one of the most challenging species...
, Heteractis magnifica; the White Beaded Anemone, Heteractis aurora; the Green Carpet Anemone, Stichodactyla haddoni; and Merten's Sea Anemone
Stichodactyla mertensii
Merten's carpet sea anemone, Stichodactyla mertensii, is regarded as the largest sea anemone with a diameter of over 1 m, the next largest being Heteractis magnifica which has longer tentacles...
, Stichodactyla mertensii. They are unaffected by the stinging tentacles due to a substance in the mucous covering their bodies which prevents the nematocysts (stinging cells) from firing.
Social structure
The Barrier Reef Anemonefish live together in a social structure within a single anemone. A dominant female is the largest member of the group, and her mate, the dominant male, the second largest. There are also up to four lower-ranking males. There is little aggression from the large female toward the males, but fierce in-fighting between the males maintains the pecking order. The lowest ranking male may be driven out and forced to seek a place in a group within another anemone host or die. If the female dies, the dominant male assumes her position within the hierarchy and over the course of a few days changes sex. In the wild they may live 6–10 years, but captive species have survived for 18 years.Reproduction
The Barrier Reef Anemonefish is a nesting fish. A few days before mating aggression from the dominant male towards the female increases, and at the same time he begins clearing a nest site, usually on a rock close to the host anemone. The rock is cleaned of algaeAlgae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, sometimes with the assistance of the female. When spawning takes place the female zig-zags over the nest site and the male follows fertilizing the eggs which have been deposited. Between 100 and 1000 elliptical eggs of between 3 and 4 mm in length may be laid. They are attached to the nest site by a mass of short filaments. The male guards the nest for 6 to 7 days until the eggs hatch. All the fry are born sexless - they develop into males first, and into females only if they rise to the top of the hierarchy within a particular hosted group.
Diet
The diet of the Barrier Reef Anemonefish consists primarily of algae and zooplanktonZooplankton
Zooplankton are heterotrophic plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The word "zooplankton" is derived from the Greek zoon , meaning "animal", and , meaning "wanderer" or "drifter"...
. The dominant pair in the social hierarchy tend to travel farther from the host anemone in order to find food. The host anemone may benefit from small pieces of food which the anemonefish drop when feeding.
Aquatic emblem
The Barrier Reef Anemonefish was officially named as the state aquatic emblem of QueenslandQueensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
in March, 2005.