Amphiprion pacificusis a new species of anemonefish discovered by Gerald R. Allen, Joshua Drew and Douglas Fenner described in the latest issue of the Aqua, theInternational Journal of Ichthyology. The researchers discoveredA. pacificusin the Wallis Island and Tonga in the western Pacific with other underwater photographs revealing its presence on coral reefs of Fiji and Samoa.
The team notes the new taxon is nearly identical in appearance toA. akallopisosfrom the Indian Ocean. The two share common characteristics — typically pinkish-brown and grading to orange or yellow on the lower portion of the head and side, with a similar white stripe extending from the head along the dorsal midline ending at the caudal fin. Genetic testing does reveal showA. pacificusis more closely related toA. sandaracinos(Orange Skunk Clownfish) hailing from the Western Australia and Indo-Malayan region. The physical differences between the common orange skunk differs fromA. pacificuswith its more uniform orange coloration and the white forehead stripe extends onto the upper lip. The team also noticed what appears to be differences in the number of soft dorsal and anal rays on each species.
This is an exciting find and just like thelightning maroon clownfishfrom Papua New Guinea, we are hoping enough species can be found in the wild to be able to harvest these unique fish to see if they can be successfully bred in captivity. If you’re interesting in reading the entire paper, you can purchase it online in PDF format fromAqua.
