Maroon Clownfish

A. biaculeatus was once the only species of the genus Premnas. The species name remains unchanged, thus the maroon clownfish is now Amphiprion biaculeatus. The taxon "P. epigrammata" from Sumatra probably should be recognized as a distinct species, Amphiprion epigrammata (Fowler, 1904). The recent precedents of the recognition of A. barberi as a distinct species from A. melanopus and A. pacificus being distinguished from A. akallopisos demonstrate the need to show not only geographic and morphological differences, but also genetic data to confirm the separation of the proposed species.

The significant color variations for fish in this species are related to sex and geographic location. Male and juvenile fish are bright red-orange which darkens on the fish changing to female, ranging from maroon to dark brown. The body bars of the female are narrower and the body bars reportedly all but disappear in older females. At least three geographic variations in the color of females are found, with fish from East Timor to Australia retaining white body bars. In the central Malay Archipelago, the head bar tends towards a dull yellow, with the other two body bars being grey. In Sumatra and Andaman Islands, all three body bars are yellow for both male and female, and the female body color can range from a dull maroon to a dark brown. While other species have a blue tinge to their body bars, Amphiprion chrysopterus and A. latezonatus, this geographic variety, is the only anemonefish to have yellow or gold body bars. Central Malay Archipelago The female in the Central Malay Archipelago, from North Sulawesi and the Philippines in the north to Komodo Island in the south, has a dull-yellow head bar and grey body bars. Male and juvenile fish are bright red-orange with white bars. File:Maroon clownfish at Gilli Lawa Laut.JPG|Female from Gilli Lawa Laut, near Komodo Island showing the gold tinged head bar and distinctive cheek spine File:Spinecheek Anemonefish, Bunaken Island.jpg|Male at Bunaken island, North Sulawesi, showing the bright red-orange colors and three white body bars File:Spine-cheek Anemonefish (Premnas biaculeatus) (6056495382).jpg|Female at Bunaken island, North Sulawesi, showing the dull-yellow head bar and grey body bars East Timor to Australia In the area from East Timor through New Guinea and Australia, the female has white or grey head and body bars. Male and juvenile fish are bright red-orange with white bars. File:Premnas biaculeatus (Maroon or spinecheek anemonefish).jpg|Female at East Timor showing the narrower body bars and maroon color File:Clownfish (Papua New Guinea).jpg|Male at East New Britain, PNG showing similar coloration to the male at North Sulawesi Sumatra Fish from Sumatra, the Andaman Islands, and Nicobar Islands have yellow body bars on both males and females. This distinctive feature meant they were previously considered a separate species. File:Premnas, Andamán.jpg|Female with striking gold body bars from the Andaman Islands File:Premnas biaculeatus 1.jpg|Female with gold body bars and dark brown body

A. biaculeatus is found in the Malay Archipelago and Western Pacific Ocean north of the Great Barrier Reef.

The relationship between anemonefish and their host sea anemones is not random and instead is highly nested in structure. A. biaculeatus is highly specialized with only one species anemone host, Entacmaea quadricolor or the bubble-tip anemone, predominantly with the solitary form. The fish chooses the host and one of the primary drivers for host selection is thought to be competition. E. quadricolor is highly generalist, hosting at least 14 species, around half of all species of anemonefish. With such competition, A. biaculeatus is considered to be the most territorial of all anemonefish. Competition alone, though, does not explain the preference of A. biaculeatus for the solitary form of E. quadricolor. As A. biaculeatus is the largest clownfish species and highly specialized towards a single host species, it can usually outcompete other clownfish species for use of E. quadricolor.

The fish has successfully bred in a home aquarium. Being one of the larger anemonefish and the most aggressive, these characteristics need to be accommodated in any aquarium setup.

Amphiprion biaculeatus has been subject to selective breeding in captivity. One of the more prominent traits is the "lightning" morph which is characterized by broken, jagged white body bars that have a honeycomb appearance. One of the first times this trait was observed was in a wild-caught pair from Fisherman's Island near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

The maroon clownfish has been successfully crossbred with A. ocellaris to create the hybrid named the "blood orange clownfish" by the Florida aquaculture company, Oceans, Reefs and Aquariums. The body of this hybrid more closely resembles A. ocellaris, but possesses a darker orange hue, grows larger, and has a more "fiery" temperament, features characteristic of its A. biaculeatus genes.