---
title: Clownfishes (Amphiprioninae)
scientific_name: Amphiprioninae
common_name: Clownfishes
rank: Subfamily
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-05T09:05:03.397Z
tags: Clownfishes, Amphiprioninae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/clownfishes
---

# Clownfishes (*Amphiprioninae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Subfamily
- **Scientific name:** Amphiprioninae
- **Body shape:** Oval - Egg-shaped body, deeper than it is thick - damselfishes, surgeonfishes.
- **Species listed here:** 3

## How to recognise this group

- oval body, deeper than long
- bold body bands of orange, red, yellow, or black
- bands often edged with white or blue
- always living within a host sea anemone
- small size, typically 7-15 cm

Clownfishes (Amphiprioninae) are deep-bodied, oval-shaped marine fish with a rounded caudal fin, typically measuring 7-15 cm (3-6 inches) in length. Their bodies display bold patterns of orange, red, yellow, or black, often marked with vertical white or blue bands. These fish are commonly observed living in an obligate mutualistic symbiosis with specific species of host sea anemones, sheltering safely among the anemones' stinging tentacles due to a protective mucus layer on their skin.

They inhabit waters from 1 to 30 m (3-100 ft) deep, commonly found on exposed reef tops, protected lagoons, and outer reef slopes. The anemone provides shelter from predators and a site for egg-laying, while the fish defend the anemone from certain predators and remove parasites and debris. Clownfishes feed on zooplankton, algae, and small invertebrates, often supplementing their diet with food scraps from their host anemone. Each anemone hosts a hierarchical social structure, with the largest individual being the dominant female, the second largest a breeding male, and smaller individuals remaining immature. If the dominant female dies, the breeding male changes sex to become female, and the next largest immature fish develops into a breeding male. Males guard and fan clutches of eggs laid at the base of the anemone until hatching. Their common name refers to their bright colouration and often exaggerated, clown-like swimming movements.


## Species (3)

- [Oman Anemonfish (Amphiprion omanensis)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/clownfishes/oman-anemonfish)
- [Red Sea Clownfish (Amphiprion bicintus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/clownfishes/red-sea-clownfish)
- [Sebae Clownfish (Amphiprion sebae)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/clownfishes/sebae-clownfish)

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/clownfishes)*
*Updated: August 5, 2026*