Amphiprion chrysopterus Cuvier, 1830
Orange-fin clown

Amphiprion chrysopterus is the clown most often found in Heteractis crispa, an anemone with long pointed tentacles that is mostly found on seaward reefs in the Marshalls. As of this writing (March 2017), there are fewer of this clownfish present on the reef due to the near or, by now, perhaps complete loss of the Heteractis crispa anemones. Those fish remaining are now usually in Stichodactyla mertensii.

The Heteractis crispa anemones below were bleached--expelled their symbiotic zooxanthellae--during the El Niño of 2009, when water temperatures peaked at 86°F (30°). Most seem to have recovered by early 2010, but were then hit with similar bleachings in 2013 and 2014. After this, this anemone species just about disappeared from Kwajalein. Although it was once the most common of the clownfish hosting anemones, it became very rare, and over a two year span, we saw only two of these anemones. The 2016 bleaching, one of the worst, may have done those in as well.

Created 1 September 2010
Updated 16 March 2017

Return to anemonefish list

Kwajalein Underwater Home