The Ocellaris or Common Clownfish/Anemonefish is the species after which the whole family is named - the orange,
white and black painted face of clowns. It is also called the False Percula and False Clownfish since the Orange or Percula Clownfish A. percula
looks similar. It is native to reefs in the eastern Indian and western Pacific Ocean.
Like all anemonefish, it has a symbiotic relationship with a host anemone for mutual protection. It's skin has a mucus
that protects it from the anemone's toxic sting that deters the fish's predators and the territorial fish keeps its host safe by chasing away
anemone predators. Also, like all anemonefish, the largest fish in the group is female and reproduces with the largest male. All the others
are subordinate males with their own size-based hierarchy. When the female dies or is removed, the largest male becomes female and pairs with
the next largest male.
The Common or False Clownfish typically has an orange body with 3 white bands bordered with black. (There is a black
form - see link below.) Authorities say the black borders are much thinner on the Common than on the similar Orange/Percula, but this
doesn't always seem to be the case. Some count spines in the dorsal fin - difficult in practice and both can have 10 (usually the Common has 11) -
and say the dorsal hump is higher in the Common. The True Percula is native to the Great Barrier Reef area.
They grow to 11cm long. The Common Clownfish species was the star of the film Nemo. Diet is zooplankton and algae.
The thinner black bar description to distinguish the Common/False Clownfish doesn't always seem to be so.