The Black Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) is a tropical marine (saltwater) fish in the Pomacentridae family of clownfish and damselfish. It is also known as the False Percula Clownfish.
The Black Common Clownfish has an oval-shaped, flat, compressed body. It is black with white bands.
It grows to about 10 centimetres (4 inches) in length.
It is native to the oceans of northern Australia, Southeast Asia, and Japan. It lives among sea anemones, but it is not affected by their stinging tentacles. The anemone protects the Black Common Clownfish from pedators.
The Black Common Clownfish prefers warm topical waters in shallow, sheltered coral reefs and lagoons.
It is diurnal, active during the day. It is omnivorous, because it eats algae, plankton, worms, and small crabs.
It lives in groups, headed by the most aggressive female.
It is oviparous. The female lays about 500 eggs, which hatch after 6-8 days. The young fish, called fry, can swim freely after hatching.
The Black Common Clownfish, like all clownfish, is a sequential hermaphrodite. This means that it starts its life as a male, and when it is an adult, it becomes a female.
Location of photographs: Sea Life London Aquarium, England
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM