''Pseudanthias rubrizonatus'', the red-belted anthias, liliac-tip basslet, deepsea fairy basslet, lilac-tipped seaperch, redband anthias, red-band basslet or redbar anthias is a species of marine ray-finned fish, an

anthias Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange, and yellow reef fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The name Anthi ...

from the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Anthiinae Anthias are members of the family Serranidae and make up the subfamily Anthiinae. Anthias make up a sizeable portion of the population of pink, orange, and yellow reef fishes seen swarming in most coral reef photography and film. The name Anthi ...

part of the family Serranidae, the groupers and sea basses. It is found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 12 cm in length.

Description

''Pseudanthias rubrizonatus'' males are pinkish to pinkish orange at the anterior end of the body and are frequently bright yellow on the posterior of the body and on the tail, these two areas being separated by a wide red, vertical bar. There is a lilac coloured stripe which runs from below the eye to the lower part of the base of the pectoral fin. The dorsal fin has a lilac margin as do the outer lobes of the caudal fin. The females are reddish-pink, paler ventrally, and each scale has a dark spot in it. The females also have a violet stripe from below the eye to the lower part of the base of the pectoral fin and have red tips to the lobes of the caudal fin. The juveniles show lavender tips to the spines in the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin contains 10 spines and 16 soft rays while the

anal fin Fins are distinctive anatomical features composed of bony spines or rays protruding from the body of a fish. They are covered with skin and joined together either in a webbed fashion, as seen in most bony fish, or similar to a flipper, as se ...

has 3 spines and 7 soft rays. The maximum total length is .

Distribution

''Pseudanthias rubrizonatus'' is found in the

where it occurs from the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated from ...

east as far as Fiji, north to southern Japan and south to Australia and the Great Barrier Reef. In Australia it occurs as far south as

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, New South Wales.

Habitat and biology

''Pseuadanthias rubrizonatus'' is found at depths of , in aggregations around isolated coral heads and patches of rubble. The juvelines may be found in harbours and over silted coral reefs. It is a protogynous hermaphrodite and when the male dies or disappears the most dominant female changes into a male. They normally feed on zooplankton but are opportunistically piscivorous.

Taxonomy

''Pseudanthias rubrizonatus'' was first formally described in 1983 as ''Anthias rubrizonatus'' by John E. Randall with the type locality given as the southwestern side of Savo Island in the Solomon Islands. This species is placed in the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

''Pseudanthias'' by some authorities and it is similar in appearance to '' Pseudanthias connelli of South Africa.

Utilisation

This species appears in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q930640 rubrizonatus Taxa named by John Ernest Randall Fish described in 1983