The Two-Banded Clownfish (Amphiprion bicinctus) is a marine (saltwater) tropical fish, related to the Damselfish. It is also called the Two-Banded Anemonefish, or the Red Sea Clownfish.

The Two-Banded Clownfish is yellow-orange or blackish-brown, with two white or coloured bands. The band near the head is wider than the band in the middle of its body. It has yellow fins and dark eyes.

Two-Banded Clownfish

It grows to about 14 centimetres (6 inches).

The Two-Banded Clownfish is found in the Western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Chagos archipelago. It prefers coral reefs and shallow lagoons.

It feeds on algae and plankton. It lives near and around the sea anemone, which has stinging tentacles. However, the Two-Banded Clownfish is not affected by the poisonous tentacles, and the sea anemone protects it from predators.

The Two-Banded Clownfish is a sequential hermaphrodite. This means that it starts its life as a male, and then when it is mature, it changes into a female.

Two-Banded Clownfish

Two-Banded Clownfish

Two-Banded Clownfish

[Location of photograph: Tbilisi Zoo, Georgia]

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM