Orange-fin anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Ovalentaria incertae sedis · Family: Pomacentridae · Genus: Amphiprion.

Accepted name: Amphiprion chrysopterus · Authority: Cuvier, 1830 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 278393.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=278393 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Amphiprion chrysopterus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 17 cm · Depth range: 0–40 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: short and / or deep · Vulnerability index: 16.5 of 100 · Fishery importance: subsistence fisheries · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Adults inhabit passages and outer reef slopes. Known to occur at 25°C. Feed chiefly on planktonic copepods, algae, echiuroid and sipunculoid worms, and pelagic tunicates. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate (Ref. 205).

Males guard and aerate the eggs (Ref. 205). Associated with the anemones: Entacmaea quadricolor , Heteractis aurora , Heteractis crispa , Heteractis magnifica , Stichodactyla haddoni , and Stichodactyla mertensii (Ref. 5911). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 4551) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Amphiprion-chrysopterus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

1,943 georeferenced occurrence records for Amphiprion chrysopterus are published through GBIF from 26 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 240 distinct locations from a sample of 1,943 records, omitting 10 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Fiji (407); American Samoa (217); Australia (191); Northern Mariana Islands (177); Tonga (152).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5212076) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5212076&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=278393 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Amphiprion chrysopterus Cuvier, 1830 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 188530) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/188530/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5212076) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5212076/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

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. 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.

Clownfish are small-sized, 10 - 18 cm, and depending on species, they are overall yellow, orange, or a reddish or blackish color, and many show white bars or patches. Within species, color variations may occur, most commonly according to distribution, but also based on sex, age, and host anemone. Clownfish are found in warmer waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and the Red Sea in sheltered reefs or in shallow lagoons.

In a group of clownfish, a strict dominance hierarchy exists. The largest and most aggressive fish is female and is found at the top. Only two clownfish, a male and a female, in a group reproduce through external fertilization. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites, meaning that they develop into males first, and when they mature, they become females.

They feed on mainly on planktonic copepods, algae, echiuroid and sipunculoid worms, and pelagic tunicates.

Adults generally inhabit reef passages and slopes. They are oviparous, with distinct pairing during breeding. Eggs are demersal and adhere to the substrate. Males guard and aerate the eggs.

Description

The fish's body is short and deep; the head is small. Generally yellow in the body edges, it is yellow-brown to dark brown in the middle sides, with two white vertical stripes, the first behind the eye and the second before the anus. The fins are yellow to orange. Juveniles are a dull orange.

The tail fins are generally white or yellow and vary depending on the area of origin (fish in the area surrounding Fiji and Tonga have yellow tails, fish from the Marshall and Solomon Islands have white tails). Dorsal spines (total) number 10 - 11; dorsal soft rays (total) are 15–17 in number. Two anal spines and 13-14 anal soft rays are present. It can grow to 17 cm in length.

Color variations

Fish that are generally blackish are associated with the host anemone Stichodactyla mertensii, Mertens' carpet sea anemone. Heteractis crispa is associated with brown males and juveniles. Only orange or brown juveniles are associated with Heteractis aurora (beaded sea anemone).

Similar species

A. chrysopterus may be confused with three other species with overlapping distribution, A. akindynos, A. clarkii, and A. tricinctus. A. chrysopterus tends to be darker than A. akindynos and the presence of black pelvic and anal fins eliminates A. akindynos. A wider midbar or tail bar is indicative of A. clarkii. A. tricinctus also has a tail bar unless it is solid black.

Distribution and habitat

A. chrysopterus is found in the Western Pacific north of the Great Barrier Reef from the surface to 20 m, to include the Pacific Ocean between Queensland and New Guinea to the Marshall and Tuamotus Islands.

A. chrysopterus is associated with these species of anemones:

Macrodactyla doreensis corkscrew tentacle sea anemone

Stichodactyla mertensii Mertens' carpet sea anemone

Source: Wikipedia: Orange-fin anemonefish — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-fin_anemonefish (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.