Mirror Basslet, Pseudanthias pleurotaenia (Bleeker 1857)


Other Names: Blotched Fairy Basslet, Squarespot Anthias

A female Mirror Basslet, Pseudanthias pleurotaenia, in the Raja Ampat Islands, West papua, Indonesia, February 2016. Source: Mark Rosenstein / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:
A stunning basslet found in groups on steep seaward reef slopes. 

Males are deep pink and orange with a large almost square purplish blotch on the side, a red tip on the rear of the dorsal fin, mauve tips on the caudal fin and a reddish stripe from the snout, through the eye, across the pectoral-fin base to the tail base. 

Females and juveniles are yellowish with orange scale margins and two purplish stripes from the eye along the lower part of the body to the tail base.

Cite this page as:
Dianne J. Bray, Pseudanthias pleurotaenia in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/4399

Mirror Basslet, Pseudanthias pleurotaenia (Bleeker 1857)

More Info


Distribution

Found in Australia from Rowley Shoals, WA, territory of Ashmore & Cartier Islands, and northern Great Barrier Reef  to Moreton Bay, QLD and the Coral Sea. Elsewhere, the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west-central Pacific.

Males and females aggregate a few metres above current-swept drop-offs, whereas juveniles are solitary and remain near shelter.

Species Citation

Anthias pleurotaenia Bleeker, 1857, Acta Societ. Scient. Indo-Neerland. 2: 34. Type locality: Ambon Island, Indonesia.

Author

Dianne J. Bray

Mirror Basslet, Pseudanthias pleurotaenia (Bleeker 1857)

References


Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R. & Starck, W.A. 1982. The anthiid fishes of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, with the description of a new species. Revue Française d'Aquariologie et Herpétologie 9(2): 47-56 figs 1-28

Bleeker, P. 1857. Achtste bijdrage tot de kennis der vischfauna van Amboina. Acta Societatis Scientiarum Indo-Neerlandicae 2: 1-102.

Bleeker, P. 1873. Révision des espèces indo-archipélagiques du groupe des Anthianini. Nederlandsch Tijdschrift voor de Dierkunde 4: 155-169.

Ceccarelli, D., Choat, J.H., Ayling, A.M., Richards, Z., van Herwerden, L., Ayling, A., Ewels, G., Hobbs, J. –P. & Cuff, B. 2008. Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve Marine Survey – 2007. Report to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts by C&R Consulting and James Cook University. 80 pp.

Coleman, N. 1981. Australian Sea Fishes North of 30°S. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 297 pp.

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 2004. Basslets, Hamlets and their relatives. A comprehensive guide to selected Serranidae and Plesiopidae. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 1, 216 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 pp. figs.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37311123

Biology:Capable of changing sex

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:10-180 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish (rare)

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:20 cm TL

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map