Fauna of anemonefishes (Pomacentridae, Amphiprioninae) and their host sea anemones (Cnidaria, Actiniaria) on reefs of Phu Quy, Con Son, and An Thoi Islands (South China Sea, South Vietnam, and Gulf of Thailand) and a review of these groups from the coastal waters of Vietnam

Abstract

A full species composition of anemonefishes (Pomacentridae, Amphiprioninae) and their host sea anemones (Cnidaria, Actiniaria) from reefs of Phu Quy and Con Son Islands (off South Vietnam) and An Thoi Islands (northeastern Gulf of Thailand) is presented for the first time. A comparison of the faunas of anemonefishes and their host sea anemones is conducted in the coastal waters of Vietnam and adjacent waters. The presence of intermittent ranges of the anemonefishes in the coastal waters of Vietnam is demonstrated. For example, the ranges of two species, Amphiprion clarkii and A. frenatus, include the coastal waters of Vietnam, excluding the Gulf of Thailand, where they are not found even at the eastern border of the gulf. A. perideraion is absent in the Gulf of Tonkin, but it is distributed to the south along the entire coastal zone of Vietnam, including the Gulf of Thailand. In the coastal waters of Vietnam, A. sandaracinos is distributed only between the Gulf of Tonkin and Gulf of Thailand. A. polymnus is reliably indicated in the coastal waters of Vietnam between 12°50′ and 9°54′ N, but, most likely, its range is continuous along the entire Vietnamese coast. The richness of species composition of host sea anemones decreases (from nine to three species) in the southern direction, from Central Vietnam to the eastern border of the Gulf of Thailand.