Red-orange, large black region at the rear of the body, which can also extended to head stripes. Amphiprion melanopus, also known as the cinnamon clownfish, is a species of anemonefish that is widely distributed in the western and southern parts of the Pacific Ocean. Its scientific name “melanopus” is Greek, meaning “black feet,” in reference to the black pelvic fins. Like all anemonefishes, it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. The species is a sequential hermaphrodite, with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy. The female is the largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They also exhibit protandry, meaning that if the sole breeding female dies, the breeding male will change to female, and the largest non-breeder will become the breeding male.
Size: 13 cm
Habitat: In lagoons and outer reefs, 1-18 m. Lives together with three anemone species: Heteractis magnifica, H. crispa and Entamaea quadricolour.
Distribution: Bali and East Kalimantan to the Philippines, Marshall Island, Fiji and Society Islands in French Polynesia.