Barrier Reef anemonefish
Amphiprion akindynos
Illustration: Bloom by Day
The local clownfish: orange-brown with a pale snout and two white bars edged in black, the tail and tail base white. It never leaves its anemone, and the biggest fish in the group is the female — if she dies the largest male becomes one.
how to recognise it
- orange to orange-brown, with a pale snout
- two black-edged white bars of similar width: the first across the top of the head and down the gill cover just behind the eye, the second from the middle of the dorsal fin to the lower belly
- the tail base and tail are white
- juveniles have a large dark patch on the tail, a yellow snout, and yellow pectoral, pelvic and anal fins
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-16. Our wording, their facts. Max size 12 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~9 cm, to 12 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (12 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 100 at 4 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
no QLD rule listed — check before you dive
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.