''Amphiprion nigripes'' (Maldive anemonefish or blackfinned anemonefish), is a

marine fish Saltwater fish, also called marine fish or sea fish, are fish that live in seawater. Saltwater fish can swim and live alone or in a large group called a school. Saltwater fish are very commonly kept in aquariums for entertainment. Many saltwater f ...

belonging to the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Pomacentridae Pomacentridae is a family of ray-finned fish, comprising the damselfishes and clownfishes. This family were formerly placed in the order Perciformes but are now regarded as being ''incertae sedis'' in the subseries Ovalentaria in the clade ...

, which includes

clownfish Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species of clownfish are recognized: one in the genus '' Premnas'', while the remaining are in the genus '' Amphiprion''. In the wild, ...

es and

damselfish Damselfish are those within the subfamilies Abudefdufinae, Chrominae, Lepidozyginae, Pomacentrinae, and Stegastenae within the family Pomacentridae. Most species within this group are relatively small, with the largest species being about 30 ...

es.

Description

The Maldive anemonefish is a small

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% ...

which grows up to 11 cm as a female and 8 cm as a male. It is oval-bodied and laterally compressed. This clownfish is characterized by its rusty orange color with a single white stripe running vertically just behind the eye. It has black

pelvic The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

and

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as s ...

s (hence the common name) and a variable area on its belly can be more or less black. Depending on geographic location, some fishes can be orangeish-yellow with an

which is not black but the same color as the body.Dr Anderson, ''Reef fishes of the Maldives'', Manta marine, 2008,

Distribution

The Maldive anemonefish is found in the western

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by ...

in the

Maldive Islands Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...

, Laccadive Islands, and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Habitat

This species typically lives in small groups on outer reef slopes at depths of . It is particularly associated with the magnificent sea anemone.

Feeding

This

anemonefish Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species of clownfish are recognized: one in the genus ''Premnas'', while the remaining are in the genus ''Amphiprion''. In the wild, the ...

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

, and its diet is based on

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

, small

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...

s, and

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

Behaviour

''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 A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

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

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.

In captivity

In a tank, the species can eat brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and chopped shellfish provided by a hobbyist. Individuals that are tank-raised have accepted high-protein flakes as well as granular foods. The maldive anemonefish is considered mostly peaceful in an aquarium, with some aggression when defending its host. It has successfully been raised in captivity. File:Amphiprion Nigripes in Vilamendhoo Maldives.jpg, ''Amphiprion Nigripes'' with their anemone in Vilamendhoo Maldives

References

Bibliography

* Allen, G.R. 1975. The anemone fishes. Their classification and biology. Segona edició. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

. * Allen, G.R. 1984. ''

''. A W. Fischer i G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean (Fishing Area 51). volum 3. ar. pag. FAO,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. * Allen, G.R. 1991. Damselfishes of the world. Mergus Publishers, Melle,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. 271 p. * Balon, E.K. 1990. Epigenesis of an epigeneticist: the development of some alternative concepts on the early ontogeny and evolution of fishes. Guelph Ichthyol. Rev. 1:1-48. * Eschmeyer, William N.: Genera of Recent Fishes. California Academy of Sciences.

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. iii + 697. . Any 1990. * Eschmeyer, William N., ed. 1998. Catalog of Fishes. Special Publication of the Center for Biodiversity Research and Information, núm. 1, vol. 1-3.

California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. The Academy began in 18 ...

. 2905. . * Hardy, J.D. Jr. 2003. Coral reef fish species. NOAA\National Oceanographic Data Center. NODC Coral Reef Data and Information Management System.

. 537 p. * Helfman, G., B. Collette i D. Facey: ''The Diversity of Fishes''. Blackwell Science, Malden,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, 1997. . * Jonklaas, R. 1975. Collecting marine tropicals. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City,

. 224 p. * Kapoor, D., R. Dayal i A.G. Ponniah 2002. Fish biodiversity of India. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources Lucknow,

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

.775 p. * Masuda, H. i G.R. Allen 1993. Meeresfische der Welt - Groß-Indopazifische Region. Tetra Verlag, Herrenteich, Melle. 528 p. * Moe, A.M. Jr. 1992. The marine aquarium handbook. Beginner to breeder. Green Turtle Publication,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. 318 p. * Moyle, P. i J. Cech.: ''Fishes: An Introduction to Ichthyology'', Upper Saddle River,

: Prentice-Hall. Any 2000. . * Nelson, J.S. 2006: ''Fishes of the world''. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken,

. 601 p. . * Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea i W.B. Scott 1991. World fishes important to North Americans. Exclusive of species from the continental waters of the United States and Canada. Am. Fish. Soc. Spec. Publ. (21):243 p. * Thresher, R.E. 1984. Reproduction in reef fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Neptune City,

. 399 p. * Wheeler, A.: ''The World Encyclopedia of Fishes'',

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

: Macdonald. Any 1985. .

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q969728 nigripes Fauna of the Maldives Fish of Sri Lanka Fish described in 1852