Kami’s Perchlet, Plectranthias kamii Randall 1980
Kami's Perchlet, Plectranthias kamii, from south of Lord Howe Island, March 2018. Source: tukula / iNaturalist.org. License: CC By Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
A reddish-orange to yellowish of pinkish-white perchlet, with 7 large orange-red saddles along the back, and a row of 4–5 irregular yellowish blotches mid-laterally along the rear of the body.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2024, Plectranthias kamii in Fishes of Australia, accessed 05 Dec 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/5570
Kami’s Perchlet, Plectranthias kamii Randall 1980
More Info
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Distribution |
Murrays Islands to Lihou Reef in the Coral Sea, off Queensland; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the east-Indo-western central Pacific: Sulawesi, Indonesia, Philippines, south to New Caledonia, east to the Mariana and Society islands, north to China, Taiwan and southern Japan. Inhabits deep reefs, sheltering in caves and crevices. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin X-XI, 17-18; Anal fin III, 7; Pectoral fin 13; Pelvic fin I, 5; Caudal fin principal rays 9+8; Caudal fin branched rays 8+7; Caudal fin procurrent rays upper 6-8, lower 6; Caudal-fin rays total 30-31; Lateral-line complete, 32-38 tubed scales; Branchiostegal rays 7. Vertebrae 10+16. Dorsal-fin spines with fleshy tabs on their distal tips, the tab on third spine longest; third dorsal spine longest. Opercle with 3 flat spines, middle spine longest, upper spine concealed by scales; preopercle with 26–30 serrations on posterior margin, and two enlarged antrorse spines ventrally; interopercle and subopercle smooth. |
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Colour |
Head and body reddish pink to white, paler ventrally, marked with following yellow-brown to bright yellow blotches and bars: several small blotches dorsally on head, nape and snout tip; a short stripe from anterior edge of eye to middle of jaws; a diffuse oblique bar from posteroventral part of eye to preopercle angle; a diffuse blotch covering most of operculum; a curved stripe from posterior edge of eye to posterior part of nape and dorsal origin; an oblique bar extending from bases of fourth through sixth dorsal spines to just behind posterior edge of opercle; an oblique bar extending from bases of seventh through ninth dorsal spines to upper third of body; an oblique bar extending from bases of first through third segmented dorsal rays to upper third of body; a pupil-sized spot or short bar beneath bases of eighth through tenth segmented dorsal rays; a similar spot beneath terminal three or four dorsal segmented rays; a median spot on mid-dorsal part of caudal peduncle, a bar over posterior edge of caudal peduncle; a large elongate blotch mid-laterally below bars from seven through ninth dorsal spines and first through third segmented dorsal rays; smaller elongate mid-lateral blotch beneath middle part of soft dorsal fin; and elongate blotch over middle part of caudal peduncle; adjacent yellow-brown to bright yellow markings sometimes coalescing, sometimes overlain with small blue-grey to dark grey spots and blotches; eye pale pink to white, yellow-brown to orange where adjacent to yellow-brown to yellow stripes on head, with dark blue-grey to black crescent in front of pupil; dorsal fin reddish pink to white, with yellow-brown to bright yellow markings from body extending on to fins; first dorsal spine with dark grey basal spot; anal fin pale pink or white to orange; caudal fin pink to white dorsally and ventrally, pinkish hyaline to orange centrally; distal margins of caudal, soft dorsal and soft anal fins of larger specimen dusky grey; pelvic fins white to pink or orange, paler on fin spine; pectoral fins whitish hyaline to pink. |
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Remarks |
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Similar Species |
The following combination of characters distinguishes Plectranthias kamii from congeners: dorsal rays X,17–18; third dorsal spine longest; pectoral rays 13; lateral line complete, with 32–38 tubed scales; scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin 16–20. |
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Etymology |
The species is named in honour of Harry T. Kami of the Division of Fish and Wildlife on Guam who donated the specimen to the Bishop Museum. Mr. Kami suspected that it might represent an undescribed species. |
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Species Citation |
Plectranthias kamii Randall 1980, Micronesica 16(1): 141, Fig. 14. Type locality: Naha fish market, Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2024 |
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Resources |
Kami’s Perchlet, Plectranthias kamii Randall 1980
References
Chen, J.-P. & Shao, K.-T. 2002. Plectranthias sheni, a new species and P. kamii, a new record of anthiine fishes (Perciformes: Serranidae) from Taiwan. Zoological Studies 41(1): 63-68.
Gill, A.C., Pogonoski, J.J., Moore, G.I. & Johnson, J.W. 2021. Review of Australian species of Plectranthias Bleeker and Selenanthias Tanaka (Teleostei: Serranidae: Anthiadinae), with descriptions of four new species. Zootaxa 4918(1): 1-116. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4918.1.1
Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202 https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/supplement-no-30/ (as Plectranthias yamakawai)
Randall, J.E. 1980. Revision of the fish genus Plectranthias (Serranidae: Anthiinae) with description of 13 new species. Micronesia 16(1): 101-187. See ref online
Randall, J.E. 1996. Two new anthiine fishes of the genus Plectranthias (Perciformes: Serranidae), with a key to the species. Micronesica 29(2): 113-131.
Tang, C,-N., Lai, N.-W. & Ho, H.-C. 2020. Plectranthias purpuralepis sp. nov., a new anthiadine perchlet from northern Taiwan (Perciformes: Serranidae). Zootaxa 4780: 508-522. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4780.3.4
Wada, H. & Senou, H. 2024. Plectranthias clavatus, a new perchlet from Japan and Guam, with a review of the distributional records of P. kamii (Perciformes: Serranidae: Anthiadinae). Bulletin of the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum (Natural Science) No. 53: 113-126.
Williams, J.T., Lawrence, A. & Myers, R. 2016. Plectranthias kamii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T69588731A69592437. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T69588731A69592437.en. Accessed on 25 November 2024.
