Maldive anemonefis...   

Maldive anemonefish's description

Dorsal fin with 10-11 spines and 17-18 rays. Anal fin with 2 spines and 13-15 rays. Pectoral rays 18-19. Body depth 2.0-2.2 in standard length. Maxillary reaching to below front border of eye. Pectoral fin shorter than head. Pelvic is slightly shorter than pectoral fin. Color is orange, lower side of chest blackish. A single white transverse band, a little less than eye diameter in breadth; the white band edged with black. Pelvic and anal fins black. Dorsal, caudal and pectoral fins yellow.

Maldive anemonefish's Behavior & Ecology

Amphiprion nigripes is active during the day. It is a protandrous hermaphrodite, which means all fish are hatched as males and later can change sex to female. The males live in harems in which an established dominance hierarchy manages the group and keeps individuals at a specific social rank. It also aggressively defends its territory and is completely dependent on its sea anemone which represents its "life insurance" as a safe shelter for the group and for the nest. The associative relationship that binds the clownfish and the sea anemone is called mutualism. The fish lives within the sea anemone's tentacles and can use it as a shelter because it has developed a thin layer of mucus which covers its body as a protection against the anemone's stinging tentacles, and the presence of the clownfish can be interpreted as a lure to attract potential anemone prey close to its tentacles; the clownfish can also defend the anemone against some reef fishes which could eat the tentacles, such as butterflyfish.

Maldive anemonefish's Feeding

This anemonefish is omnivorous and its diet is based on zooplankton, small benthic crustaceans, and algae.

Maldive anemonefish habitat

Coral Reef

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