Common Name: Yellowtip Anemonefish
Scientific Name: Amphiprion cf clarkii
Distribution: Mariana Arc
Type Locality: n/a
Identification: Caudal fin white in female, but males with a distinctive yellow margin. Middle stripe noticeably thick, often with a sooty coloration. Dorsal and anal fin dark. Pelvic fins brown, becoming darker towards the tip. Melanistic specimens fully black.
Similar: The yellow margin of the male’s caudal fin is unique in the genus. Females could be confused with the populations found in Indonesia and the Philippines; the caudal fin tends to have a subtle cream color in those, while the males typically have only trace amounts of yellow along the upper and lower edges of the caudal fin. Those from Palau and the Caroline Islands typically have brightly colored pelvic and anal fins. Some female specimens from Okinawa appear nearly identical and might actually be waifs.
Notes: Relatively few images of this species exist, which is surprising given the number of divers that visit this region. Probably absent form the aquarium trade.
Amphiprionology 