PSEUDANTHIAS FLAVICAUDA - (RANDALL & PYLE, 2001)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Perciformes (Order) > Percoidei (Suborder) > Anthiadidae (Family) > Pseudanthias (Genus)
Anthias à queue jaune, Yellow-tailed Anthias, Yellowtail anthias, 橙尾拟花鮨, 橙尾擬花鮨,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7; Vertebrae: 26 (10 + 16); Pectoral fin rays: 17-18; Caudal fin rays: 15 (8 + 7); Gill rakers: 10-11 + 24-26; Lateral line scales: 45-49; Body depth: 3.1-3.3 in SL; Head length: 3.15-3.3 in SL. Posterior edge of orbit without papillae. Caudal fin deeply emarginate to lunate, the caudal concavity 1.05-2.5 in HL; its third dorsal spine moderately elongate, 1.5-1.95 in HL. Max. length: 6.6 cm SL male; 5.6 cm SL female. Depth range: 30 - 200 m.
Color
Color of male when fresh
Body with a broad yellow area on back between base of fourth dorsal spine and fourth to fifth dorsal soft rays; Rest of body magenta, the outer part of the scales yellow (progressively more yellow anteriorly), shading to orange posteriorly on caudal peduncle; Head, chest, and adjacent abdomen pink, the dorsal part of head suffused with yellow; Ventral part of chest yellow, becoming orange on isthmus; A narrow yellow band, edged below with violet, from behind lower part of eye to upper base of pectoral fin; A small magenta blotch near front of snout at edge of upper lip; upper lip orange anteriorly, shading posteriorly to yellow; Orbit narrowly rimmed with yellow; Iris yellow with a middle ring of purple that is broadest dorsally; Spinous portion of dorsal fin translucent yellow, the outer anterior part of first four spines magenta, this color continuing as a margin to sixth dorsal soft ray; Soft portion of dorsal fin a mixture of translucent yellow and violet; Anal fin transluscent violet with a band of translucent yellow from base of spines and first soft ray, narrowing to tip of third soft ray; Margin of fin anterior to tip of third soft ray pink; Caudal fin yellow, the base of fin a mixture of magenta and orange, the upper and lower margins pink, broadening and darkening to magenta basally; Pectoral fins with yellow rays and translucent membranes; Pelvic fins translucent pale yellow, the leading edge pink.
Color in life of mature females
Body pink, the scale centers of about upper half of body dusky orange; Dorsal part of head, snout, and chin yellow, suffused with pink, shading to pink ventrally; Dorsal and anal fins translucent yellow, the dorsal with a pink margin except anteriorly, and the anal with a pink to lavender margin anterior to fifth soft ray; Caudal fin bright yellow; Paired fins yellow, the pelvics with a pink to lavender leading edge.
Etymology
Pseudanthias: from Greek, pseudes = false + from Greek, anthias = a name of an unknow fish given by Aristotle in "History of Animals". This book, written in the fourth century BC, is one of the major texts on biology by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), who had studied at Plato's Academy in Athens.
flavicauda: from Latin, flavus = yellow + from Latin, cauda = a tail (of an animal). Named in reference to the yellow caudal fin of both sexes.
Original description: Pseudanthias flavicauda Randall & Pyle, 2001 - Type locality: Beqa (Mbengga) Island, ocean side drop-off, Fiji, depth 61 meters, hand nets, C.J. Boyle, 16 Jul 1985.
Distribution
Western Pacific: off islands of Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea (Australia), New Caledonia.
Similar species
Pseudanthias engelhardorum (Allen & Starck, 1982) - Reported from New Caledonia. Link to the species (here). Females are similar in color.
Pseudanthias pulcherrimus (Heemstra & Randall, 1986) - Reported from Indian Ocean: South Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles and western Mascarenes east to Maldives, Chagos Archipelago and Andaman Islands. Females are similar in color.
Pseudanthias randalli (Lubbock & Allen, 1978) - Reported from New Caledonia - The females of Pseudanthias flavicauda and Pseudanthias randalli (with yellow snout) are similar in color.
Pseudanthias tequila (Gill, Tea & Senou, 2017) - Reported from Western Pacific: Ogasawara Islands (Japan), Mariana Islands. Females are similar in color.
Caesioperca rasor (Richardson, 1839) - Reported from Southeastern Indian Ocean, southwestern Pacific: southern Western Australia east to Victoria and Tasmania (Australia). Females are similar in color.
Last update: 2, September 2022
Anthias à queue jaune, Yellow-tailed Anthias, Yellowtail anthias, 橙尾拟花鮨, 橙尾擬花鮨,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 7; Vertebrae: 26 (10 + 16); Pectoral fin rays: 17-18; Caudal fin rays: 15 (8 + 7); Gill rakers: 10-11 + 24-26; Lateral line scales: 45-49; Body depth: 3.1-3.3 in SL; Head length: 3.15-3.3 in SL. Posterior edge of orbit without papillae. Caudal fin deeply emarginate to lunate, the caudal concavity 1.05-2.5 in HL; its third dorsal spine moderately elongate, 1.5-1.95 in HL. Max. length: 6.6 cm SL male; 5.6 cm SL female. Depth range: 30 - 200 m.
Color
Color of male when fresh
Body with a broad yellow area on back between base of fourth dorsal spine and fourth to fifth dorsal soft rays; Rest of body magenta, the outer part of the scales yellow (progressively more yellow anteriorly), shading to orange posteriorly on caudal peduncle; Head, chest, and adjacent abdomen pink, the dorsal part of head suffused with yellow; Ventral part of chest yellow, becoming orange on isthmus; A narrow yellow band, edged below with violet, from behind lower part of eye to upper base of pectoral fin; A small magenta blotch near front of snout at edge of upper lip; upper lip orange anteriorly, shading posteriorly to yellow; Orbit narrowly rimmed with yellow; Iris yellow with a middle ring of purple that is broadest dorsally; Spinous portion of dorsal fin translucent yellow, the outer anterior part of first four spines magenta, this color continuing as a margin to sixth dorsal soft ray; Soft portion of dorsal fin a mixture of translucent yellow and violet; Anal fin transluscent violet with a band of translucent yellow from base of spines and first soft ray, narrowing to tip of third soft ray; Margin of fin anterior to tip of third soft ray pink; Caudal fin yellow, the base of fin a mixture of magenta and orange, the upper and lower margins pink, broadening and darkening to magenta basally; Pectoral fins with yellow rays and translucent membranes; Pelvic fins translucent pale yellow, the leading edge pink.
Color in life of mature females
Body pink, the scale centers of about upper half of body dusky orange; Dorsal part of head, snout, and chin yellow, suffused with pink, shading to pink ventrally; Dorsal and anal fins translucent yellow, the dorsal with a pink margin except anteriorly, and the anal with a pink to lavender margin anterior to fifth soft ray; Caudal fin bright yellow; Paired fins yellow, the pelvics with a pink to lavender leading edge.
Etymology
Pseudanthias: from Greek, pseudes = false + from Greek, anthias = a name of an unknow fish given by Aristotle in "History of Animals". This book, written in the fourth century BC, is one of the major texts on biology by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), who had studied at Plato's Academy in Athens.
flavicauda: from Latin, flavus = yellow + from Latin, cauda = a tail (of an animal). Named in reference to the yellow caudal fin of both sexes.
Original description: Pseudanthias flavicauda Randall & Pyle, 2001 - Type locality: Beqa (Mbengga) Island, ocean side drop-off, Fiji, depth 61 meters, hand nets, C.J. Boyle, 16 Jul 1985.
Distribution
Western Pacific: off islands of Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea (Australia), New Caledonia.
Similar species
Pseudanthias engelhardorum (Allen & Starck, 1982) - Reported from New Caledonia. Link to the species (here). Females are similar in color.
Pseudanthias pulcherrimus (Heemstra & Randall, 1986) - Reported from Indian Ocean: South Africa, Madagascar, Seychelles and western Mascarenes east to Maldives, Chagos Archipelago and Andaman Islands. Females are similar in color.
Pseudanthias randalli (Lubbock & Allen, 1978) - Reported from New Caledonia - The females of Pseudanthias flavicauda and Pseudanthias randalli (with yellow snout) are similar in color.
Pseudanthias tequila (Gill, Tea & Senou, 2017) - Reported from Western Pacific: Ogasawara Islands (Japan), Mariana Islands. Females are similar in color.
Caesioperca rasor (Richardson, 1839) - Reported from Southeastern Indian Ocean, southwestern Pacific: southern Western Australia east to Victoria and Tasmania (Australia). Females are similar in color.
Last update: 2, September 2022