Hawkfish anthias

Fathead anthias ( Serranocirrhitus latus )

The large head or high back Anthias ( Serranocirrhitus latus ) is a small fish of the family Serranidae the ( Serranidae ). He comes in the tropical western Pacific from the Moluccas, on the Great Barrier Reef to Fiji, New Caledonia and Tonga, north to the Izu Islands and Taiwan before.

Features

The fathead anthias is 13 cm long. From almost all other flags cichlid he is distinguished by his tall figure. Back, head and top part, the flanks are yellow, the bottom with the paired fins is orange-red in males, in females more purple. Characteristic are two yellow stripes that extend from the eye across the cheeks to the gill cover.

Fins formula: Dorsal X/18-20, Anal III / 7

Way of life

The fathead anthias lives very hidden individually, in pairs or in small loose groups closely associated with coral reefs. He thinks he's always near caves or other shelters on to Außenriffhängen at depths of 15 to 70 meters. He always uses the body bottom the nearest solid substrate, he keeps in caves or under overhangs near the ceiling on, so he swims with the belly up. It feeds on zooplankton.

System

The author of the first description, Watanabe noted in the study of the fish in common with the Sägebarschen and the tufts perch ( Cirrhitidae ), ordered the fish to the tuft bass and emphasized by the scientific genus name Serranocirrhitus the similarities with both families. The similarity with the tufts bass is emphasized by the English name hawkfish anthias.

In 1962, the fish type specimen was here a slightly different color copy, described by the Australian ichthyologist Whitley under the name Dactyanthias mcmichaeli a second time. Only 1978 saw the American ichthyologist John Ernest Randall double description, Dactyanthias mcmichaeli synonymisierte with Serranocirrhitus latus and ordered the fish the anthias ( Anthiinae ), a subfamily of Serranidae to.