Common Name: Wideband Anemonefish
Scientific Name: Amphiprion latezonatus Waite, 1900
Distribution: Subtropical Eastern Australia, Lord Howe & Norfolk Islands. Apparently absent from New Caledonia.
Type Locality: Lord Howe Island, Australia
Identification: Body mostly black. Spinous dorsal fin yellow-orange, blending into the back. Caudal fin black with a thick, clear posterior margin. Ventral fins black. Middle stripe extremely enlarged and asymmetrical (narrower in juveniles). Stripes often with sooty. Upper lip reflective blue (appearing green in some photographs).
Similar: One of a kind. The exaggerated middle stripe and blue lip are instantly recognizable.
Notes: One of only three subtropical species in this genus, along with A. akindynos and A. japonicus. Genetic studies place this species as the basal lineage among the anemonefishes (exclusive of the clownfish clade), suggesting this species is something of a relict. Rarely available in the aquarium trade and sells for large sums of money.
Amphiprionology 