About Amphiprion ephippium (Bloch, 1790)
This species is the red saddleback anemonefish, with the scientific name Amphiprion ephippium (Bloch, 1790). All anemonefish (also called clownfish) form symbiotic mutualistic relationships with sea anemones in the wild, and are not harmed by the stinging tentacles of their host anemone. The host sea anemone protects clownfish from predators, and provides food through leftover scraps from the anemone's meals and occasional dead anemone tentacles. In exchange, clownfish defend the anemone from its own predators and parasites. Clownfish are small fish, typically measuring 10–18 centimetres (3.9–7.1 in) in total length. Depending on the species, their overall body color can be yellow, orange, reddish, or blackish, and many species have distinct white bars or patches. Color variations can occur within a single species, most often linked to geographic distribution, but also based on sex, age, and the individual's host anemone. Clownfish inhabit warmer waters of the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Red Sea, living in sheltered reefs or shallow lagoons. Clownfish groups have a strict dominance hierarchy, with the largest and most aggressive individual, which is always female, holding the top position. Only one breeding male and one breeding female in a group reproduce via external fertilization. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites: they all develop as males first, and mature into females later in life. For Amphiprion ephippium specifically, adult individuals have a reddish-orange body, with a black saddle-shaped marking or spot on their sides, which matches the species' common name. Small juvenile A. ephippium may have 2 or 3 white bars, but these markings do not persist once the fish reach maturity. The species has 10 to 11 dorsal spines, 2 anal spines, 16 to 18 dorsal soft rays, and 13 to 14 anal soft rays. It reaches a maximum total length of 12 cm (4+3⁄4 in). A. ephippium is distributed in waters around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Java. The original recorded collection locality of Tranquebar is considered an error, as the site falls outside the species' confirmed known range.
