Pelicier’s Perchlet, Plectranthias pelicieri Randall & Shimizu 1994

Other Names: Psychedelic Perchlet

Summary:

A reddish orange perchlet becoming orange-yellow below, with narrow pale bluish to white lines edged with red along the lower side, a pale area on the back below the dorsal fin, and 10 red spots along the base of the fin.
Video of Plectranthias pelicieri in an aquarium.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. 2025, Plectranthias pelicieri in Fishes of Australia, accessed 04 Jun 2026, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/5774

Pelicier’s Perchlet, Plectranthias pelicieri Randall & Shimizu 1994

More Info

Distribution	Filmed on Tregrosse Reefs in the Coral Sea Marine Park, Australia, at a depth of 133 m. Elsewhere the species is known from the Southwestern Indian Ocean: South Africa and Mauritius; western Pacific: Japan and New Caledonia.
Features	Dorsal fin X, 16-17; Anal fin III, 7; Pectoral fin 13-14; Caudal fin 14-15 branched rays; Gill rakers 4-6 + 11-12; Lateral line scales 28-30; Vertebrae 26. Body depth: 2.6-2.9 in SL; head long: 2.2-2.4 in SL; ventral margin of the preopercle with three ventrally-directed to antrorse spines. Dorsal fin deeply notched before soft-rayed part, 3rd spine longest, tip of 3rd spine with long cirrus (~½ length of spine), tips of spines 4-7 with shorter cirri; caudal fin emarginate. Lateral line complete.
Colour	Body reddish, shading to orange-yellow on abdomen and above front of anal fin, with several vertical pale blue, lavender or chalky white streaks (edged with red on lower part of body); a pale diffuse whitish zone below dorsal fin, with a series of 10 red spots along fin base; caudal fin pale greenish yellow with 4 red spots at base; anal fin with red spots proximally and dull gold spots distally. Head dull golden yellow, with irregular red streaks, 3-5 pale pink or white spots on cheeks and below eye, and a yellow-edged red ocellus on opercle. The cirri on the dorsal-fin spines are greyish brown.
Feeding
Similar Species	The similar Plectranthias cruentus differs from P. pelicieri in live coloration, and in having the fifth or sixth dorsal-fin spine longest (vs the third spine in P. pelicieri), at least some pectoral-fin rays branched (versus all rays unbranched), and inconspicuous (versus distinct) serrations on the interopercle.
Etymology	The species is named in honour "of Daniel Pelicier of Mauritius who collected all of the type specimens and took the photograph of Figure 2. Pelicier collected the specimens using SCUBA at depths of 50-70m. He reported the bottom as gravel with small round corals (perhaps Fungia), when disturbed, the fish hide under the coral. He added, "They rest on the bottom, usually in pairs, and jump for their food like hawkfishes."
Species Citation	Plectranthias pelicieri Randall & Shimizu 1994, Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 41(2) :109, Figs. 1-2. Type locality: Mauritius, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean, depth 50-70 m.
Author	Bray, D.J. 2025
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Pelicier’s Perchlet, Plectranthias pelicieri Randall & Shimizu 1994

References

Heemstra, P.C. & Randall, J.E. 2009. A review of the anthiine fish genus Plectranthias (Perciformes: Serranidae) of the Western Indian Ocean, with description of a new species, and a key to the species. Smithiana Bulletin 10: 3-17, https://biostor.org/reference/239544

Randall, J.E. & Shimizu, T. 1994. Plectranthias pelicieri, a new anthiine fish (Perciformes: Serranidae) from Mauritius, with notes on P. gardineri. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology 41(2): 109-115. https://doi.org/10.11369/jji1950.41.109

Tea, Y.K., Sih, T.L., Walsh, F., Bennett, T., et al. 2025. New records of fishes from the Coral Sea Marine Park, Australia. Coral Reefs https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-025-02664-3

Yahya, S., Carpenter, K.E., Borsa, P., Jiddawi, N., Obota, C. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 2018. Plectranthias pelicieri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T117008764A117008898. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T117008764A117008898.en. Accessed on 02 July 2025.