Gonadal Development, Social Structure, and Implications of Protandry by Aggressive Dominance in Amphiprion Anemonefish

Abstract

Anemonefish of the genus Amphiprion have developed a mating system involving protandrous sequential hermaphroditism, wherein male sexual maturation occurs prior to female sexual maturation within an individual¹. This review will summarize changes in the gonad and individual behaviour through the transition from juvenile to male to female, as well as explore the relationship between body size and fecundity in Amphiprion. A protandrous mating system is advantageous due to the low abundance of host anemones, as it ensures that a migrating anemonefish can find a potential mate in any group it encounters, and loss of a mate will always trigger a replacement. This strategy ultimately grants Amphiprion the ability to withstand unpredictable host abundance and maximize safety and offspring production, encouraging the proliferation of the genus².

Keywords: anemonefish, Amphiprion, protandry, gonad, aggressive dominance