''Amphiprion latezonatus'', also known as the wide-band anemonefish, is a species of

anemonefish Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species of clownfish are recognized: one in the genus '' Premnas'', while the remaining are in the genus '' Amphiprion''. In the wild, t ...

found in

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

waters off the east coast of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Like all anemonefishes, it forms a

symbiotic Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

mutualism with

sea anemone Sea anemones are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates of the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classifi ...

s and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of its host. It is a

sequential hermaphrodite Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...

with a strict size-based

dominance hierarchy In biology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social animal , social groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking i ...

; the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male nonbreeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit

protandry Sequential hermaphroditism (called dichogamy in botany) is a type of hermaphroditism that occurs in many fish, gastropods, and plants. Sequential hermaphroditism occurs when the individual changes its sex at some point in its life. In particular, ...

, meaning the breeding male changes to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest nonbreeder becoming the breeding male.

Description

''A. latezonatus'' grows to and is dark brown with three white bars and a broad white margin on the caudal fin. As the common name suggests, the middle bar is very wide, about twice the average width of other anemonefishes and is shaped like a flat-topped pyramid. They have 10 dorsal spines, two anal spines, 15–16 dorsal soft rays, and 13–14 anal soft rays.

Color variations

''A. latezonatus'' often has bright blue markings on the upper lip and the edges of the bars. The

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through conv ...

may be orange or yellow Image:Amphiprion latezonatus RLS.jpg, ''A. latezonatus'' showing blue markings Image:Amphiprion latezonatus, embriones.jpg, ''A. latezonatus'' showing orange dorsal fin

Similar species

The broad midbody bar is distinctive, and ''A. latezonatus'' is unlikely to be confused with any other anemonefish. The closest in appearance are ''A. polymnus'' (saddleback anemonefish) and ''A. sebae'' (sebae anemonefish), but ''A. latezonatus'' has a broader midband and lacks the characteristic slope of ''A. polymnus'' or ''A. sebae''. Historically, anemonefish have been identified by morphological features and color pattern in the field, while in a laboratory, other features such as scalation of the head, tooth shape, and body proportions are used. These features have been used to group species into complexes, and ''A. latezonatus'' was considered as part of the saddleback complex with ''A. polymnus'' and ''A. sebae''.

Genetic analysis Genetic analysis is the overall process of studying and researching in fields of science that involve genetics and molecular biology. There are a number of applications that are developed from this research, and these are also considered parts of ...

has shown that the saddleback complex is not a

monophyletic group A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...

and that ''A. latezonatus'' has a

monospecific In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

lineage, and is more closely related to ''A. percula'' and ''

Premnas biaculeatus ''Premnas biaculeatus'', commonly known as spine-cheeked anemonefish or the maroon clownfish, is a species of anemonefish found in the Indo-Pacific from western Indonesia to Taiwan and the Great Barrier Reef.Lieske, E., and R. Myers. 1999. ''Co ...

'' than to the saddleback group. Image:Amphiprion Species.JPG, '' A. polymnus'' (saddleback anemonefish) Image:Clown Fish Aquarium.JPG, '' A. sebae'' (sebae anemonefish) Image:A. percula.jpg, The genetically related ''A. percula'' (clownfish) Image:Clownfish (Papua New Guinea).jpg, The genetically related ''

'' (maroon or spine-cheeked anemonefish)

Distribution and habitat

''A. latezonatus'' is found in subtropical waters of

, from southern

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

to northern

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...

, and

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

Host anemones

The relationship between anemonefish and their host sea anemones is not random and instead is highly

nested ''Nested'' is the seventh studio album by Bronx-born singer, songwriter and pianist Laura Nyro, released in 1978 on Columbia Records. Following on from her extensive tour to promote 1976's ''Smile'', which resulted in the 1977 live album '' Seas ...

in structure. ''A. latezonatus'' is highly specialised with only one species anemone host, ''

Heteractis crispa The sebae anemone (''Heteractis crispa''), also known as leathery sea anemone, long tentacle anemone, or purple tip anemone, is a species of sea anemone belonging to the family Stichodactylidae and native to the Indo-Pacific area. It was firs ...

'' (sebae anemone). ''A. latezonatus'' has been found in two additional host sea anemone species.

Conservation status

Anemonefish and their host anemones are found on coral reefs and face similar

environmental issues Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

. Like

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

s, anemone's contain intracellular

endosymbiont An ''endosymbiont'' or ''endobiont'' is any organism that lives within the body or cells of another organism most often, though not always, in a mutualistic relationship. (The term endosymbiosis is from the Greek: ἔνδον ''endon'' "within" ...

zooxanthellae Zooxanthellae is a colloquial term for single-celled dinoflagellates that are able to live in symbiosis with diverse marine invertebrates including demosponges, corals, jellyfish, and nudibranchs. Most known zooxanthellae are in the genus ''Sy ...

, and can suffer from

bleaching Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

due to triggers such as increased water temperature or

acidification Acidification may refer to: * Ocean acidification, decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans * Freshwater acidification, atmospheric depositions and soil leaching of SOx and NOx * Soil acidification, buildup of hydrogen cations, which reduces the ...

. Characteristics known to elevate the risk of extinction are small geographic range, small local population, and extreme habitat specialisation. ''A. latezonatus'' is an endemic species, confined to the subtropical east coast of Australia. The finding of ''A. latezonatus'' being hosted by two additional sea anemone species may reduce the risk of extinction associated with specialisation. This species was not evaluated in the 2012 release of the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

In aquaria

''A. latezonatus'' has been bred in captivity.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q748628 latezonatus Fish of New Caledonia Marine fish of Eastern Australia Fish of Lord Howe Island Fish described in 1900 Taxa named by Edgar Ravenswood Waite