Hi Isaac. Here's the skinny on Premnas biaculeatus:
On about any maroon clowns that are LESS than a year old, they will have white stripes, no matter if they are Regular Maroons or Gold-Band Maroons. Nor, does it matter if they are WILD caught or Captive bred.
Thus, it takes a bit more to determine whether it is a regular or a gold. If the retailer or LFS label it Gold-band/stripe maroons, and you do not see any, most likely they are captive bred from ORA, and will start getting its gold coloration at the head-band stripe. This occurs and as they get older and mature, the rest of the stripes will turn golden.
Another indication of a gold-stripe juvenile clown is the wider band stripe. Regular maroons have smaller bandwidth (no pun intended).
What usually arrives at the LFS or petstore are wild-caught Gold-band Maroons due to the cheaper nature, as compared to ORA...captive bred. Sometimes you see really small wild-caught clowns that already develop gold coloration. This is an indication of age, and age doesn't always mean a 'big' clown. As you know male clowns stay small, even at older ages, when present with a larger female clown.
Enjoy your clowns
- Elmo