Orcellaris clownfish, also known as Amphiprion ocellaris, are small fish found in coastal reefs in the Indo-West Pacific. They live in groups and form symbiotic relationships with sea anemones. Clownfish are born male but can change sex to female for reproductive purposes. They have round fins for quick acceleration and can change color at night for camouflage from predators. Clownfish are part of the Pomacentridae family, which includes both clownfish and damselfish.

1. Orcellaris
Clownfish
Kaylee Koenig
http://www.orafarm.com/products/fish/clowns/

2. TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Pomacentridae
Subfamily: Amphiprioninae
Genus: Amphiprion
Species: A. ocellaris

3. Life History/Life Cycle
All clownfish are born
male but can change to
females if they need to
for reproductive reasons.
It only takes 4-5 days for
100-1,000 eggs to hatch.
While they are still in egg
form the male will guard
them.

4. http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/beren
ds_bets/habitat.htm
Habitat
Clownfish are found in the Indo-West Pacific area in
coastal bays, reef flats, and reef faces. They live in
the top part of the Epipelagic zone. Since they live
in the warmest zone, they are adapted to warmer
temperatures. (75-85 degrees Fahrenheit)

5. ADAPTATIONS
One adaption the clown fish is it has rounder fins making
their swimming slower but the can accelerate faster than
most other animals. Another adaption they have is the ability
to bleach their skin and change the color at night so that
predators can’t see them as well.

6. FAMILY/RELATIVES
• One type of extinct Pomacentridae fish is
galapagos damsel.
• Extinct Relatives
– Galapagos damselfish
– Grabtolithina www.wikipedia.org
– Andreolepis hedei
(420 million years ago)
– Percaforms
(largest group of vertebrate)

7. Orcellaris fish are part of the Pomacentridae family.
The Pomacentridae family has two different
categories; clownfish and damselfish. If you click the
links, there are lists with pictures of these organisms.
http://www.orafarm.com/products/fish/clowns/
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/fish/marine/damselintro.html

8. Bibliography
• Works Cited
• Berends, Betsy. Amphiprion ocellaris. 2007.
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2007/berends_bets/adaptation.h
tm (accessed 2 5, 2012).
• ORA. ORA Clowns. http://www.orafarm.com/products/fish/clowns/
(accessed 2 5, 2013).
• Smith, Drs. Foster and. Fish Guide. September 10, 2008.
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/fish/marine/damselintro.html
(accessed 2 5, 2013).
• Tree of Life Design. An Exploration of the Clown Fish. 1995-2004.
http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=3390 (accessed 2 5,
2013).
• Wikipedia. Ocellaris Clownfish. 1 31, 2013.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocellaris_clownfish (accessed 2 5,
2013).