Bennett’s Perchlet, Plectranthias bennetti Allen & Walsh 2015
Holotype of Bennett’s Perchlet, Plectranthias bennetti, from Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea off Cairns, Queensland. Source: Fenton Walsh / Cairns Marine. License: All rights reserved
A perchlet with eight broad red to reddish-orange forward-slanting to backwards-slanting bars along the side, a triangular orange area on head before the dorsal-fin origin, a yellow band running from the snout through the lower part of the eye to the cheek, and a large yellow spot on the pectoral-fin base. The membrane of the first dorsal-fin spine is yellow, those of second and third dorsal-fin spines are white, and there's a small white spot on the rear of the anal fin near the base.
Bennett’s Perchlet, Plectranthias bennetti Allen & Walsh 2015
More Info
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Distribution |
Known only from Holmes Reefs in the Coral Sea, about 230 km east of Cairns, Queensland. The holotype was collected from the ceiling of a cave at a depth of 63 m. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin X,15, fourth spine longest; Pectoral fin 13, all rays unbranched; Caudal fin 9+8 principal rays, 6-7 dorsal procurrent rays, 5-6 ventral procurrent rays; Gill rakers 5-7+13-16; Pseudobranchial filaments 13-16; Lateral line complete, 29-30 scales; Preopercle - serrations on vertical portion 20–25, lower part with 3 enlarged antrorse spines; Vertebrae 10+16. Scales on head extending anteriorly to point varying from mid-interorbital to anterior part of interorbital, but well short of posterior nostrils; no scales on snout, maxilla, infraorbitals, mandibles or chin. |
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Colour |
White with eight red to red-orange bands or bars as follows: forward slanting band from just in front of dorsal fin origin to rear edge of eye, four slightly backward slanting bands from below third dorsal spine to base of middle soft dorsal-fin rays, each linked across white interspace in two places to their neighboring bands by irregular cross stripes, and three short bands/bars from below posterior dorsal fin to caudal-fin base; head with triangular orange zone medially on predorsal region, yellow band on side of snout, short, posterior slanting yellow band on cheek from lower rear corner of eye, and vertically elongate, irregular yellow marking on reddish operculum; fins generally translucent, except membrane of first dorsal spine yellow and those of second and third dorsal spines white; also white interspaces between red bands along base of dorsal fin extending for short distance along bases of adjacent dorsal-fin rays, small white spot on membrane near base of last anal-fin ray, and large yellow spot on pectoral-fin base (Allen & Walsh, 2015).. |
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Similar Species |
The following combination of characters distinguishes Plectranthias bennetti from congeners: dorsal fin X,15, fourth spine longest; pectoral fin 13, all unbranched; lateral line complete, with 29–30 scales; lower part of preopercle with three enlarged antrorse spines; scales on head extending anteriorly to point varying from mid-interorbital to anterior part of interorbital, but well short of posterior nostrils; no scales on snout, maxilla, infraorbitals, mandibles or chin. |
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Etymology |
This species is named in honour of the marine aquarium-fish collector Timothy Bennett, who collected the holotype. |
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Species Citation |
Plectranthias bennetti Allen & Walsh, 2015, J. Ocean Sci. Found. 16: 85, figs 1-4. Type locality: northwestern section of western part of Holmes Reefs, Coral Sea, Queensland, 16°24.327’S, 147°49.442’E, depth 63m. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2024 |
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Resources |
Bennett’s Perchlet, Plectranthias bennetti Allen & Walsh 2015
References
Allen, G.R. & F. Walsh. 2015. Plectranthias bennetti, a new species of anthiine fish (Pisces: Serranidae) from the Coral Sea, Australia. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation 16: 82-89 http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1021465
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
