Clownfish (Anemonefish)
Clownfish (Silke Baron / CC BY)
Anemonefish or clownfish (Amphiprioninae) are relatively small, ranging between 6 centimeters (2.3 inches, tomato anemonefish) and 17 centimeters (6.7 inches, orange-finned anemonefish) in length. They are commonly colored yellow, orange, or red with white patches or bars. Clownfish live in small hierarchical groups of one large dominant female and several smaller males. If the female dies, the largest male will change its gender and become the group's reproductive female. Clownfish live in symbiosis with certain species of sea anemones.
Inhabits the Indo-Pacific Ocean.
This supplemental online resource accompanies the book Scuba Diving Hand Signals by Lars Behnke, available on
Amazon.