The Fish Department - Fieldwork
Solomon Islands, 1998
A 5cm long Oblique-lined Dottyback, Cypho purpurascens, (Family Pseudochromidae) collected at the Reef Island Group, Solomon Islands.
The Oblique-lined Dottyback is a relatively common tropical reef species which was collected at many of the stations in the Santa Cruz Islands.
Male and female Oblique-lined Dottybacks are easy to tell apart. The image shows a male, with its distinct red colouration. The females are blue-grey anteriorly changing to an orange, red or yellow shade posteriorly. Both species have oblique lines on the belly.
