Editing Clownfish (section)

==Characteristics==
Clownfish vary in size; ''A. biaculeatus'' can reach {{convert|160|mm|in|abbr=on}} long while ''[[Amphiprion percula|A. percula]]'' reaches only {{convert|80|mm|in|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Fautin|Allen|1992|pp=98, 114}}. Females are larger than males and the smallest individuals in a group are only {{convert|6|mm|in|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Allen|1975b|p=180}}<ref>Casas, L.; Parker, C. G.; Rhodes, J. S.; "Sex Change from Male to Female Active Feminization of the Brain, Behavior, and Gonads in Anemonefish" in {{harvnb|Laudet|Ravasi|2023}} p. 188</ref> Clownfishes vary from oval-shaped to streamlined, and have rounded heads that lack scales between the snout and eyes. Teeth are present on both the [[fish jaw|oral and pharyngeal jaws]] but absent on the [[palate]], and may be conical or chisel-shaped.{{sfn|Allen|1975b|pp=36, 184}} They have saw-shaped edges along the [[operculum (fish)|operculum]] (gill covering) and suborbital area, which is the source of their genus name. The [[dorsal fin]] has 10 spines and 14–20 soft [[Fish fin#Bony fishes|rays]];<ref>Colleye, O.; Iwata, E.; Parmentier, E. "Clownfishes" in {{harvnb|Frédérich|Parmentier|2016}} pp. 303</ref> ''[[Amphiprion ocellaris|A. ocellaris]]'' has a large recess between the spines and soft rays, while in ''[[red saddleback anemonefish|A. ephippium]]'' they are mostly continuous.<ref name=whitebar/> Rays number 15–21 in the [[pectoral fin]]s, five in the [[pelvic fin]]s, 11–15 in the [[anal fin]], and 14–15 in the [[caudal fin]].{{sfn|Allen|1975b|p=36}}

===Colour patterns===
Clownfish have distinctive colour patterns consisting of a red, orange, yellow, brown or black background with up to three white vertical bars lined with black. Some species have only a horizontal line along the back or both a horizontal and a vertical line; one species ''A. ephippium'', has no bars at all. Orange, yellow and red colouration is created by [[xanthophore]] [[chromatophore|pigment cells]], black and brown by [[melanophore]]s and the white bars by [[iridophore]]s. Vertical bar formation starts at the front: species with only one bar have it at the head, those with two at the head and trunk, and three at the head, trunk and tail. Variations in the number of vertical bars between individuals of the same species occurs in ''[[Amphiprion melanopus|A. melanopus]]'', ''[[Amphiprion polymnus|A. polymnus]]'' and ''[[Amphiprion clarkii|A. clarkii]]''.<ref name=whitebar>{{cite journal|last1=Salis|first1=P|last2=Roux|first2=N|last3=Soulat|first3=O|last4=Lecchini|first4=D|last5=Laudet|first5=V|last6=Frédérich|first6=B|year=2018|title=Ontogenetic and phylogenetic simplification during white stripe evolution in clownfishes|journal=BMC Biology|volume=16|page=90|doi=10.1186/s12915-018-0559-7|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=Salis65>Salis, P.; Klann, M.; Laudet, V. "Color Pattern in Anemonefish: Develpment, Role and Diversity" in {{harvnb|Laudet|Ravasi|2023}} pp. 65–67</ref> Numerous [[Polymorphism (biology)|color morph]] mutations occur particularly in captive clownfish, including [[melanism]], a "Misbar" (incomplete vertical bars) morph, and a "golden" morph which is caused by a lack of both melanophores and iridophores. There are also morphs with thickened and merged bars.<ref>Salis, P.; Klann, M.; Laudet, V. "Color Pattern in Anemonefish: Develpment, Role and Diversity" in {{harvnb|Laudet|Ravasi|2023}} pp. 72–73</ref>

Merilata and colleagues (2018) found that clownfish with only one or no vertical bars tend to be more [[Generalist and specialist species|specialised]] for anemone species with greater toxicity and shorter tentacles. Conversely, clownfish species with two or three bars are more likely to use more anemone species within their range, several of which have longer tentacles. The researchers suggest that vertical bars function in [[camouflage]] while [[aposematism|warning colouration]] is more important for species that cannot hide in the tentacles of their hosts. This would be a unique case of aposematism since it warns about another animal, namely the anemone.<ref name=Merilata2018>{{cite journal|last1=Merilata|first1=S|last2=Kelley|first2=J. L.|year=2018|title= Scary clowns: adaptive function of anemonefish coloration|journal=Journal of Evolutionary Biology|volume=31|issue=10|pages=1558–1571|doi=10.1111/jeb.13350}}</ref> Salis and colleagues (2018) suggested that the bars function in [[Intra-species recognition|species recognition]], finding little [[sympatry|overlap]] between species with the same bar numbers within various clownfish [[Community (ecology)|communities]].<ref name=whitebar/> A 2024 study found evidence for this function as ''A. ocellaris'' can distinguish  between individuals of different bar numbers.<ref name=Hayashi2024/>  Merilata and colleagues (2018) dispute this, noting the geographic and ecological overlap between the similar-looking ''A. percula'' and ''A. ocellaris''.<ref name=Merilata2018/> 

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Amphiprion ocellaris (Clown anemonefish) Nemo.jpg|''[[Amphiprion ocellaris|A. ocellaris]]'' with three vertical bars
File:Diving at Siaes Tunnel, Palau.jpg|''[[Amphiprion allardi|A. allardi]] '' with two vertical bars
File:Amphiprion mccullochi pareja.jpg|''[[Amphiprion mccullochi|A. mccullochi]]'' with one vertical bar
File:Amphiprion ephippium.jpg|''[[Amphiprion ephippium|A. ephippium]]'' with no bars
File:Pink Anemonefish - Bunaken.jpg|''[[Amphiprion perideraion|A. perideraion]]'' with one vertical bar and one horizontal dorsal bar
File:Amphiprion sandaracinos.jpg|''[[Amphiprion sandaracinos|A. sandaracinoss]]'' with a horizontal dorsal bar
</gallery>