Two-Banded Clownfish

The Two-Banded Clownfish (Amphiprion bicinctus) is an anemonefish in the family Pomacentridae and is the characteristic clownfish species of the Red Sea, also occurring along the Gulf of Aden and parts of the western Indian Ocean. It forms an obligate symbiosis with several host sea anemone species, sheltering among their tentacles for protection from predators while providing the anemone with food scraps and improved water circulation in return. As the only anemonefish commonly found in the Red Sea, it is a familiar and heavily photographed reef species for divers in the region. It is not considered at risk, remaining common on reefs across its regional range.

• Body: deep, oval, orange to orange-red base color, 10-14 cm at maturity
• Bands: two broad white bars edged in thin black — one just behind the eye, one at mid-body
• Fins: orange with a narrow black outer edge
• Head: rounded, with a relatively large eye

The two-bar pattern (versus the three bars of the similar Clark's Anemonefish or Red Saddleback Anemonefish) is the primary identifying feature. Its restricted Red Sea and western Indian Ocean range also helps separate it from other similarly patterned clownfish found elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific.

This species is found on coral reefs throughout the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and parts of the western Indian Ocean, typically at depths of 1-25 meters. It favors clear, warm reef water in the range of 24-28°C and is always found in close association with a host sea anemone, most commonly the bulb-tentacle anemone or magnificent sea anemone, on reef flats, slopes, and lagoons with good anemone cover. Because of the Red Sea's relatively isolated and species-poor anemonefish fauna, the Two-Banded Clownfish is by far the dominant and most frequently encountered clownfish across its range.

Two-Banded Clownfish live in small hierarchical groups on a single host anemone, led by a dominant breeding female with a subordinate breeding male and several smaller non-breeding individuals. The species is a protandrous hermaphrodite, meaning all individuals start life as males, with the largest fish in a group transitioning to female if the resident female dies or is removed. Spawning occurs on cleared rock near the anemone base, with the male guarding and fanning the eggs through incubation. The fish rarely ventures more than a body length or two from its host anemone, darting into the tentacles at the first sign of a predator, and can display aggressive chasing behavior toward anything approaching too closely to its host.