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Scalefin Anthias
Pseudanthias squamipinnis (Peters, 1855)
A male Scalefin Anthias at a depth of 20 m, "Captain's Table", Wreck Bay, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, November 2001. View larger image.
View an image of this species at South West Rocks, New South Wales.
A female Scalefin Anthias at a depth of 15 m, North Solitary Island, New South Wales, January 2003. View larger image.
A male Scalefin Anthias at a depth of 18 m, Rodda Reef, far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, December 2001. View larger image.
The Scalefin Anthias is sexually dimorphic (glossary). Females are orange to yellow with pale purple scale margins. Males are purplish with a yellow spot on the body scales and a large purplish blotch on the pectoral fin.
Both sexes have an orange stripe across the cheek. The male also has a greatly elongated third dorsal fin spine and a lunate caudal fin with longer lobes than the female.
The common name for this species refers to the heavily scaled fins.
The Scalefin Anthias grows to 15 cm in length.
It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Western Pacific.
In Australia it is known from the northern Great Barrier Reef, south to the central coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 292.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
