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Red and Black Anemonefish
Amphiprion melanopus Bleeker, 1852
A Red and Black Anemonefish at a depth of 10m, "First Sista Reef", Great Barrier Reef, off Port Douglas, Queensland, November 1999. View larger image.
A Red and Black Anemonefish at a depth of 12m, "Davies Reef", far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 1999. View larger image.
The Red and Black Anemonefish usually has one white bar on the head behind the eye, although some fish lack a bar. Its breast, belly and dorsal fin are red to orange. Much of the side of the body is black.
This species grows to 12cm in length.
It lives in association with the anemone Entacmaea quadricolor.
The Red and Black Anemonefish is known from the tropical Western Pacific.
In Australia it is recorded off north-western Western Australia and from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, south to the central coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the World. Mergus. Pp. 271.
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Fautin D.G & Allen. G.R. 1992. Anemone Fishes and their host Sea Anemones. A guide for aquarists and divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 160.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
