A north-to-south connection exists from the Philippines to the rest of the archipelago and a mixing of central populations along the strong current of the Indonesian throughflow.

[9] The natural diet of anemonefish includes zooplankton, (diatoms and copepods), benthic worms, tunicates, and algae.

[2] Anemonefish and their host anemones are found on coral reefs and face similar environmental issues.

Like corals, anemones contain intracellular endosymbionts, zooxanthellae, and can suffer from bleaching due to triggers such as increased water temperature or acidification.

Local populations and genetic diversity remain vulnerable to high level of exploitation of these species and their host anemones by the global ornamental fish trade.