Clark's Anemonefish, Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett 1830)
Other Names: Yellowtail Clownfish
Clark's Anemonefish, Amphiprion clarkii, at the Abrolhos islands, Western Australia. Source: Graham Edgar / Reef Life Survey. License: CC BY Attribution
Summary:
An orange to almost black anemonefish with three white bars, including one across the caudal peduncle. the middle bar is the broadest. The caudal fins is either white or yellow, and the dorsal, anal and pelvic fins are variably coloured ranging from yellowish-orange to blackish.
Video of Clark's Anemonefish near Madang, Papua New Guinea.
Video of a pair of Clark's Anemonefish with eggs in Indonesia.
Video of Clark's Anemonefish near Madang, Papua New Guinea.
Video of a pair of Clark's Anemonefish with eggs in Indonesia.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Amphiprion clarkii in Fishes of Australia, accessed 21 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/316
Clark's Anemonefish, Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett 1830)
More Info
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Distribution |
Houtman Abrolhos and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, to Darwin, Northern Territory, and the northern Great Barrier Reef and reefs in the Coral Sea, Queensland; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the Indo-west Pacific:from the Persian Gulf, the Maldives and India to Australia, New Caledonia, and Fiji northward to Micronesia, the Philippines, China, Taiwan, and southern Japan. Inhabits lagoons, coastal and outer coral reefs, forming a mutualistic relationship with a number of sea anemone species: Cryptodendrum adhaesivum, Entacmaea quadricolor, Heteractis aurora, H. crispa, H. magnifica, H. malu, Macrodactyla doreensis, Stichodactyla gigantea, S. haddoni, and S. mertensii. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin X, 15-16; Anal fin II, 13-14. |
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Biology |
Anemone fishes live in small social groups in a commensal relationship with host anemones, and are protandrous hermaphrodites, with the ability to change sex from male to female. They form monogamous pairs and The groups include a monogamous pair of sexually functional adults and from zero to several sexually non-functional subadults and juveniles. Individuals first mature as functional males with gonads comprising both ovarian tissue with immature oocytes and testicular tissue with active spermatogenesis. During the functional female phase however, only ovarian tissue is present. Sex change is socially controlled by a strict dominance hierarchy, with the single female as the largest fish in the group. During the breeding season, males select nesting sites close to the host anemone. They clear the site of any algae and debris, often aided by the female, and she lays her eggs onto this surface. |
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Fisheries |
The species is sold in the aquarium trade, and has been bed in captivity. |
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Remarks |
Anemonefish and their anemone hosts live in a mutualistic partnership - the anemone protects the clownfish against predators, and the fish provides the anemone's zooxanthellae algae with excreted nutrients. |
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Species Citation |
Anthias clarkii Bennett, 1830, A selection from the most remarkable and interesting fishes found on the coast of Ceylon First Edition 6: 29, pl. 29. Type locality: Ceylon. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Clark's Anemonefish, Amphiprion clarkii (Bennett 1830)
References
Allen, G.R. 1972. Anemonefishes, their Classification and Biology. Neptune CityNew Jersey : T.F.H. Publications 288 pp., 140 figs.
Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Melle, Germany : Mergus Verlag 271 pp.
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
Allen, G.R., Arceo, H., Mutia, M.T.M., Muyot, F.B., Nañola, C.L. & Santos, M. 2022. Amphiprion clarkii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T188338A1860189. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T188338A1860189.en. Accessed on 24 March 2025.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.
Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C.& Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2, 284 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.
Bennett, J.W. 1830. A Selection of Rare and Curious Fishes found upon the Coast of Ceylon. London 6 Pts pls 16–30 with facing unnumbered pages. See ref at BHL
Bory de Saint-Vincent, J.B.G.M. 1831. Dictionnaire Classique d'Histoire Naturelle. Atlas et illustration des planches. Paris : Rey et Gravier Vol. 17 141 pp., 160 pls. (described as Sparus milii , type locality Shark Bay, Western Australia).
Bos, A.R. 2011. Clownfishes Amphiprion clarkii and A. sandaracinos (Pomacentridae) coexist in the sea anemone Stichodactyla mertensii. Coral Reefs 30(2): 369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-010-0713-3
Cleveland, A., Verde, E.A. & Lee, R.W. 2011. Nutritional exchange in a tropical tripartite symbiosis: direct evidence for the transfer of nutrients from anemonefish to host anemone and zooxanthellae. Marine Biology 158: 589–602. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-010-1583-5
Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202.
Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219.
Kuiter, R.H. 1997. Guide to sea fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers I-xvii, 434 pp.
Larson, H.K. & Williams, R.S. 1997. Darwin Harbour fishes: a survey and annotated checklist. pp. 339-380 in Hanley, H.R., Caswell, G., Megirian, D. & Larson, H.K. (eds). The Marine Flora and Fauna of Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia. Proceedings of the Sixth International Marine Biology Workshop. Darwin : Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 466 pp.
Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293.
Macleay, W.J. 1883. Contribution to the knowledge of the fishes of New Guinea. No. 4. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 1 8(2): 252-280. (described as Amphiprion papuensis, type locality D'Entrecasteaux Group, New Guinea).
Moyer, J.T. 1986. Longevity of the anemonefish Amphiprion clarkii at Miyake-jima, Japan with notes on four other species. Copeia 1986(1): 135-139.
Moyer, J.T. & Nakazono, A. 1978. Protandrous hermaphroditism in six species of the anemonefish genus Amphiprion in Japan. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 25(2): 101-106.
Parmentier E, Colleye O, Fine M L, Frédérich B, Vandewalle P, Herrel A. 2007. Sound Production in the Clownfish Amphiprion clarkii Science 316: 1006.
Parmentier E, Colleye O, Mann D. 2009. Hearing ability in three clownfish species Journal of Experimental Biology 212: 2023-2026.
Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.
Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.
Richardson, J. 1842. Contributions to the ichthyology of Australia. Annals and Magazine of Natural History ns 9(59): 384-393. (described as Amphiprion melanostolus, type locality Depuch Island, Western Australia)
