Swallowtail Basslet, Serranocirrhitus latus Watanabe 1949
Other Names: Coral Perch, Fathead Anthias, Hawk Anthias, Hawkfish Anthias, Sunburst Anthias
A Swallowtail Basslet, Serranocirrhitus latus, on Bougainville Reef in the Coral Sea, July 2015. Source: Ian Shaw / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
A deep-bodied orange-pink basslet becoming purplish-pink below, with a bright yellowish-orange mark on each scale, two yellow diagonal bands radiating from the eye, and a bright yellow spot on the gill cover.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2021, Serranocirrhitus latus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 03 Dec 2023, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/1723
Swallowtail Basslet, Serranocirrhitus latus Watanabe 1949
More Info
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Distribution |
Recorded in Australia from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical east-Indo-west Pacific: Indonesia east to Palau, Solomon Islands and Fiji, north to southern Japan, south to Australia. Individuals or small groups are usually seen around cave entrances, ledges and drop-offs, often swimming upside down. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin X,18-20; Anal fin III,7; Pectoral fin 13-14, all rays unbranched; Caudal fin principal rays 15, upper and lowermost unbranched; Procurrent caudal rays, upper and lower rays 7; Scales between middle of spinous dorsal fin base and lateral line 2; Scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin 11-121/2; Circumpeduncular scales 17; Gill-rakers long and numerous, none rudimentary, longest nearly twice as long as gill filaments; Branchiostegal rays 7; Vertebrae 26. Body deep, depth 2.0 to 2.2 in SL. |
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Colour |
Body and nape pink, each scale with a yellow spot (except ventrally); yellow spots large dorsally, leaving only a narrow rim of pink on each scale; yellow spots on side of body vertically elongate; on lower side and caudal peduncle, spots small and round. Head pink, shading to pale yellow on chin and throat, with a diagonal narrow yellow band from mouth to eye, two broader yellow bands running obliquely upward and backward from dorsal part of eye; bright yellow spot rimmed with violet on upper posterior part of opercle; prominent partially broken violet-edged yellow line running from lower edge of eye to lower pectoral base, and a second similar line above and parallel to it (originating behind centre of eye and ending above pectoral base); iris yellow with a ring of violet; basal scaled part of dorsal fin colored like body; rest of fin light yellow, the tips of interspinous membranes magenta, membrane of soft dorsal fin with narrow wavy yellow bands; postero-medial part of caudal fin colored like soft dorsal fin; lobes of fin broadly yellow on basal half, becoming finely spotted with yellow on outer part, with a pink border which is notably broader on basal part of fin; anal fin light pink on scaled basal portion, faintly yellow with indistinct yellow dots on outer unsealed part; paired fins pale pinkish. |
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Fisheries |
This species has experienced population declines in parts of its range (not in Australia) due to its popularity as an aquarium fish. |
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Etymology |
The specific name is from the Latin latus (= side). |
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Species Citation |
Serranocirrhitus latus Watanabe, 1949, Bull. Biogeograph. Soc. Japan 14(4): 17. Type locality: Itoman, Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2021 |
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Resources |
Swallowtail Basslet, Serranocirrhitus latus Watanabe 1949
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. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
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
Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.
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. & Tonozuka, T. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 1. Eels - Snappers, Muraenidae - Lutjanidae. Australia : Zoonetics pp. 1-302.
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.
Randall, J.E. & Heemstra, P.C. 1978. Reclassification of the Japanese cirrhitid fishes Serranocirrhitus latus and Isabuna japonica to the Anthiinae. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 25(3): 165-172 https://doi.org/10.11369/jji1950.25.165
Watanabe, M. 1949. Studies on the fishes of the Ryukyu Islands. 2. A new cirrhitoid fish. Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan 14(4): 17-20.
Whitley, G.P. 1962. A new fish from the Coral Sea (Pisces : Anthiidae). North Queensland Naturalist 30(131): 3-4 fig. 1 figs 1-3 (described as Dactylanthias mcmichaeli)
Williams, J.T., Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. 2016. Serranocirrhitus latus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69592071A69592864. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69592071A69592864.en. Downloaded on 10 April 2017.
