''Amphiprion rubrocinctus'', also known as the Australian clownfish or red 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 ...
that is endemic to north west
Australia. Like all anemonefishes it forms a
symbiotic mutualism with
sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. 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 sized 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 groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking individual is so ...
: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders 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 will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes
zooplankton
Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...
.
Description
The side of ''A. rubrocinctus'' has blackish or dark brown sides with red snout, breast, belly and fins. it has a single white head bar that is often poorly developed and lacking a pronounced black margin.
Color variations
Some anemonefish species have color variations based on geographic location, sex and host anemone. ''A. rubrocinctus'' does not show any of these variations.
Similar species
''A. rubrocinctus'' is included in the
tomato complex and so has similarities with other species in this complex.
''A. frenatus'' is similar however males are entirely bright red and the white head bar is more vivid on females.
''A. barberi'' was originally thought to be a geographic color variation of ''A. rubrocinctus'' but was described as a separate species in 2008. ''A. barberi'' lacks the dark brown or black sides and is geographically distinct. ''A. rubrocinctus'' is easily distinguished from the 4 other species of anemonefish commonly found within its range.
''A. perideraion'' and
''A. sandaracinos'' have a distinctive white stripe along the dorsal ridge while
''A. clarkii'' and
''A. ocellaris'' each have 3 white bars.
Image:Amphiprion rubrocinctus RLS.jpg, '' A. rubrocinctus'' (Australian anemonefish)
Image:Tomato clownfish Amphiprion frenatus.jpg, '' A. frenatus'' (Tomato anemonefish)
Image:Anemonefishfiji.jpg, '' A. barberi'' (Barber's anemonefish)
Distribution and habitat
''A. rubrocinctus'' is only found in the tropical seas of north west Australia, from
Ningaloo Reef
The Ningaloo Coast is a World Heritage Site located in the north west coastal region of Western Australia. The heritage-listed area is located approximately north of Perth, along the East Indian Ocean. The distinctive Ningaloo Reef that fring ...
,
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, to
Groote Eylandt
Groote Eylandt ( Anindilyakwa: ''Ayangkidarrba'' meaning "island" ) is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the fourth largest island in Australia. It was named by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and is Dutch for "Large Island" i ...
in the
Gulf of Carpentaria,
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
.
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. rubrocinctus'' is specialised, being hosted by only 2 out of the 9 host anemones found within its range. ''A. rubrocinctus'' is hosted by the following species of anemone:
*''
Entacmaea quadricolor'' Bubble-tip anemone (usually)
*''
Stichodactyla gigantea'' giant carpet anemone
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 ...
s, anemones 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 ...
s,
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 ''S ...
, 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. rubrocinctus'' has only one of these characteristics, being a small geographic range and its ability to use two different anemone hosts may reduce the risk of extinction associated with extreme 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 ...
. The Northern Territory Department of Land Resource Management has listed the species as being of least concern.
References
External links
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*
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q783203
Amphiprion
Fish described in 1842