There is rather a large variation: some specimens showing no black bands in their
colouration while others do.
Morphologically, these two species are differentiated by the number of spines in the dorsal fin, but also this character is overlapping: A. ocellaris has 10–11 and A. percula 9–10 spines.
The ecological requirements of both species seem to be identical; both of them prefer the same host anemone species (Heteractis magnifica and Stichodactyla gigantea).
Regarding Fautin and Allen (1994) these siblings have an allopatric distribution
(Fig. 1b), but Kuiter and Tonozuka (2004) reported both species in the Tomini Bay (Sulawesi), which indicates a parapatric distribution.
The high morphological similarity of the above mentioned species raises the question whether these species form distinct genetic clades within the subgenera.
Additionally, their similar biology could lead to similar species boundaries patterns.
This study aims to reveal (1) species boundaries within the anemonefish genus Amphiprion in the Indo-Malay Archipelago, and (2) speciation processes in the hotspot of marine shallow water biodiversity.