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Everybody loves the cute and colorful clownfish, a tropical symbiont which findssafety among the deadly venomous tentacles of its host

Spotlight

A Spine-cheekAnemonefishPremnasbiaculeatussnugglingamong thetentacles of aLightbulb seaanemoneEntacmaeaquadricolor, itsexclusive host.Females of thisspecies - as theone pictured -are muchlarger and lessbrightlycolored thanthe males.

HEREGOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES HERE

ADORABLE CLOWNS OF THE SEA

ANEMONE FISHADORABLE CLOWNS OF THE SEA

ANEMONE FISH

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A Black-footedAnemonefishAmphiprion

nigripes sheltersbetween two

large anemones in the Maldives.

Notice the shallow,sunlit, current-swept

environment which is typical of

this genus and its symbiont hosts.

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With itssharplybanded black,white andbright orangelivery, theWesternClownAnemonefishAmphiprionocellaris isperhaps theepitome of thisgroup ofcolorful, activefish. Hundredsof thousandsof individualsbelonging tothis speciesare capturedannually forthe aquariumtrade, oftenmeeting a veryuncertainfuture.

Safely snuggling in the deadly embraceof its velvety host

≠e al l know and loveclownfish. Also commonly known asanemonefish - a name which suitsthem rather more aptly - these smalland colorful reef denizens belong tothe very important and large family ofthe Pomacentridae, numbering agrand total of more than 300 speciesand which they share with other verycommon, shallow-water fish such asdamselfishes. Counting more than tendifferent species in Indo-Pacificwaters, clownfish are widelyregarded as easily approachable if alitt le pesky camera subjects andadorable (but presumably ratherunwilling) aquarium guests. In fact,they’re so pretty it’s easy loving themto death (or to near extinction) as italmost happened several years agowhen the commercial success of theDisney/Pixar animated movie FindingNemo prompted hundreds ofthousands of kids worldwide to begfor one - with the dire result that asmany were cyanide- or net-fished outof the sea only to end up down toiletdrains when the little brats and theirunknowing parents found out thatcaring for them was not really as easyas expected.In nature they’re well known for beingsymbionts - living in relative harmonytogether with another completelydifferent marine organism, both ofthem getting mutual benefits from therelationship. In this case, the otherorganism is quite unique - the deadlyvenomous sea anemone, a beautiful

and often gaudily colorful livingcarpet of toxic tentacles rising from avelvety, fleshy foot, closely relatedboth to corals and to jellyfish. Everysingle sticky tentacle of this soft-bodied creature is quite capable ofinjecting a deadly dose of toxins inthe body of the unfortunate organismtouching it (that is how anemones gettheir food by the way) through anumber of microscopic “needles”shooting on contact. Any creatureliving in the cuddly embrace of such aterrifying host would be quite safefrom hungry predators - so how doclownfish avoid getting paralyzedand eaten by the anemone? It seemsthey just trick it in believing they’repart of itself - gradually and dailywriggling among its tentacles withgreat care since they’re very young,they absorb its “surface identity” inthe layer of mucus which covers theirbodies: after some time, the toxictentacles of the anemone do not reactanymore to the touch of the clownfish,since they do not recognize it as apotential prey item. Strip a clownfishof i ts protect ive layer of mucushowever, and the little cunning fellowwill be instantaneously paralyzed andeaten by the anemone like any otherfish. No wonder the little pugnaciousclownfish wil l rise up to anapproaching diver’s face, nibblingferociously at noses, ears and probingfingers, bravely defending their turf atthe sl ightest suggestion ofencroachment! And yes - as funny as

W TEXT BY ANDREA FERRARIPHOTOS BY ANDREA & ANTONELLA FERRARI

continued on page 94 ›

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A Western ClownAnemonefish Amphiprion

ocellaris wriggling among thetentacles of its venomous host -

its rounded facial featuresscreaming cuteness

and cuddliness to most first-time viewers.

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it may sound, being nibbled by anangry clownfish defending i ts“investment” can occasionally bestar tling - it doesn’t hurt, but it’sdefinitely felt, even through glovedhands. On the other hand, weunderstand how clownfish profit bytheir l i felong association withanemones, but it’s not really alwaysclear what sort of advantage theanemone itself gets from its little hosts.It is true that they will strenuouslydefend it from intruders, but thatwould seem more a defense of theirown territory than of the anemoneitself, and anyway such a noxiouscreature is per fect ly capable ofdefending i tsel f (one can seehundreds of anemones on a reefwithout a single clownfish in them,and yet they’re all perfectly healthy).And clownfish are not the only ones totake advantage of the anemones’toxicity, as the frequent presence ofporcelain crabs and several species ofshrimp on their mantle can readily attest.

SHOOTING THE CLOWN

The technicolored show offered by afamily of little clownfish comicallywriggling inside a colorful anemone isjust too typical of a reef scene to beignored. They’re commonly encounteredin shallow, well-lit areas of the reef, oftenon coral rubble stretches which aresubject to strong currents - in the spotsoffering their almost completely staticanemone hosts the best feedingopportunities. As for clownfishthemselves being good camera subjects,that’s open to debate. They certainlylook great but we find them quiteobnoxious and generally hysterical,since they never stop swimming to andfro for a second, and trying to get agood snapshot of one is not the simplestof toils. In fact, one (very good and fieldtested) theory suggests to pre-focuswhere you’d like them most to be ontheir anemone’s mantle – and then clickwhen they enter it by pure chance.Sooner or later it must happen! .

Tiny pugnacious lords of their own little turf in the reef world

The BridledAnemonefishAmphiprionfrenatus (farleft) and therather moredelicatelynuanced PinkAnemonefishAmphiprionperideraion(left) arecommonlyfound on mostCentral andWestern Indo-Pacific coralreefs. Noticethe fleshytexture andchromaticvariationsshown by theiranemone host.

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A small maleSpine-cheekAnemonefishPremnasbiaculeatusemerges from thepsychedelicmaze of thelightbulb-shapedtentacles of itsexclusive host,the anemoneEntacmaeaquadricolor.No matterhow small, allAnemonefishwill alwaysstrenuouslydefend theirterritory andtheir host.

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A gigantic colonyof what appears to be

a local yellow-tailedvariety of Amphiprion

melanopus covers an area of several

square meters in shallow water. RajaAmpat, West Papua.

Clockwise:top left, maleSpine-cheekAnemonefishPremnasbiaculeatus,Central Indo-Pacific; left,WesternAnemonefishAmphiprionocellaris,Central Indo-Pacific;bottom, Black-footedAnemonefishAmphiprionnigripes,Indian Ocean,with itsretractedanemone;bottom left,PandaAnemonefishAmphyprionpolymnus,Central Indo-Pacific, theonly species of this genuscommonlyobserved onsilty habitats,well awayfrom coralreefs.

Many variationson one theme - but alwaysthe same appeal

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A very largecolony of Two-

banded AnemonefishAmphiprion bicinctus.

This is the onlyspecies of clownfish

found in the Red Sea,where it can often be

seen in colonies ofseveral hundred

individuals shelteringon “living carpets”

made of closely -setsea anemones.

The Adorable AnemonefishCLICK ON THE IMAGE

AND WATCH A SHORT VIDEO

ON THE LIFE AND HABITS OF CLOWNFISH IN THEIR

CORAL REEF HABITAT

ANIMA MUNDI

ON

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These Clark’sAnemonefishAmphiprionclarkii,photographedin the Sulu Seaoff the coast ofBorneo, looksomewhat lessendearingthan theaverageclownfish - is it the toothyscowl or theconvictstripes? Thecuteness factorinherent in allanemonefishbelies in facttheir severelypugnaciousnature.

These stripes tell a message - don’t trespassor you’ll get it from us!

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Reef life at its vibrant,dazzling, technicoloredbest - with the ubiquitousclownfish and theirswaying sea anemonehosts playing anindispensable part inthe picture, both visuallyand ecologically.