Reef Aquarium Species Codexery

Ocellaris clownfish

A small, colorful reef fish that lives symbiotically with sea anemones.

Last updated

It grows to about 11 cm long, with females larger than males.[1] Belonging to the Pomacentridae family (which includes clownfishes and damselfishes), the marine fish known as the ocellaris clownfish or false percula clownfish is scientifically named Amphiprion ocellaris.[2] Males of this species can transition to female during their lifetime, a characteristic known as protandrous hermaphroditism, and they live in a harem with a dominance hierarchy that maintains social rank.[3][4]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderBlenniiformes
  6. FamilyPomacentridae
  7. GenusAmphiprion
  8. SpeciesAmphiprion ocellaris

Named by Cuvier, 1830

Close relatives

Other species of Amphiprion with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Ocellaris clownfish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at order: WoRMS AphiaID 278400 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2022

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Ocellaris clownfish and a personA 0.11 m long ocellaris clownfish drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.11 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.11 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Ocellaris clownfish

Where the ocellaris clownfish has been recorded

Where the ocellaris clownfish has been recorded148 mapped locations from 2,906 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Indian Ocean, Pacific OceanIndian OceanPacific Ocean

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (2,906 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 26 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

It inhabits coral reefs and sheltered lagoons at depths up to 15 meters.[5][4] The fish lives in small groups and forms a symbiotic relationship with three sea anemone species: Heteractis magnifica, Stichodactyla gigantea, and Stichodactyla mertensii.[5][4] Juveniles travel to the bottom to find a host anemone after hatching near the surface.[6] The Animal Diversity Web notes that lifespan in the wild is believed to be 6–10 years.[4]

This diurnal fish consumes plankton, algae, copepods, and zooplankton as its primary food sources.[3][7][4] The species shows strong territorial aggression and relies entirely on its sea anemone for shelter.[3][8] While the anemone's tentacles shield the fish, a protective mucus coating on the fish prevents it from being stung.[8] In return, the clownfish protects the anemone from reef fish that might consume its tentacles.[3]

Within these social groups, called queues, the dominant breeding pair produces more offspring than the subordinate individuals.[9]

What the specialist sources record

The Animal Diversity Web states that black A. ocellaris with white bands are found off the Northern Territory of Australia.[4] It also reports that the fish has 11 dorsal spines and 17 pectoral rays, distinguishing it from Amphiprion percula.[4] The same source notes that A. ocellaris finds host anemones by olfactory imprinting that occurs while in the nest.[4] Captivity transfer experiments found that survival among transferred fish is higher among smaller A. ocellaris.[4]

The GBIF database holds 3,977 occurrence records for this taxon as of October 2026.[10] The Animal Diversity Web reports that the species is not classified as threatened but may face habitat degradation as coral reef threats increase.[4]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Amphiprion ocellaris", Encyclopedia of Life; Allen, G. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia. Perth: Western Australian Museum. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Allen, G. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia. Perth: Western Australian Museum. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Newcomb, "Amphiprion ocellaris (Clown anemonefish)", Animal Diversity Web (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Newcomb, "Amphiprion ocellaris (Clown anemonefish)", Animal Diversity Web. facts only, no text reused. animaldiversity.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Allen, G. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia. Perth: Western Australian Museum.; Myers, R. 1999. Miconesian Reef Fish: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists. Barrigada: Territory of Guam: Coral Graphics.; Newcomb, "Amphiprion ocellaris (Clown anemonefish)", Animal Diversity Web (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fautin, "Field Guide to Anemone Fishes and Their Host Sea Anemones", Western Australian Museum, 1997; Allen, G. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia. Perth: Western Australian Museum.; Myers, R. 1999. Miconesian Reef Fish: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists. Barrigada: Territory of Guam: Coral Graphics. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fautin, "Field Guide to Anemone Fishes and Their Host Sea Anemones", Western Australian Museum, 1997; Thresher, R. 1984. Reproduction in Reef Fishes. New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, Inc.; Sano, M., M. Shimizu, Y. Nose. 1984. Food habits of teleostean reef fishes in Okinawa Island, Southern Japan. Japan: University of Tokyo Press. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Allen, G. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-East Asia. Perth: Western Australian Museum.; Myers, R. 1999. Miconesian Reef Fish: A Field Guide for Divers and Aquarists. Barrigada: Territory of Guam: Coral Graphics. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Ocellaris clownfish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mitchell, Jeremy. "Queue Selection and Switching by False Clown Anemonefish, Amphiprion Ocellaris." Animal Behavior 69 (2005): 643-52. Science Direct. Web. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Amphiprion ocellaris (taxon key 5212106). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Ocellaris clownfish (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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