About Pseudanthias pleurotaenia (Bleeker, 1857)
Pseudanthias pleurotaenia (Bleeker, 1857) is a species of marine ray-finned fish, with common names including squarespot anthias, pink square anthias, mirror basslet, and squarespot fairy basslet. It belongs to the subfamily Anthiinae of the family Serranidae, which includes groupers and sea basses. This reef-dwelling fish is native to the Pacific Ocean. It can grow up to 20 centimeters in length, and it is occasionally traded in the aquarium industry. Males of this species have deep pink and orange coloration, with a large quadrilateral purplish blotch on the flank, a red tip on the posterior margin of the dorsal fin, mauve tips on the caudal fin lobes, and a reddish stripe that runs from the snout through the eye, along the base of the pectoral fin, and all the way to the base of the tail. Females and juveniles are yellowish, with orange edges on their scales, and two purple stripes that extend from the eye along the lower flanks to the base of the tail. Pseudanthias pleurotaenia is found around reefs at depths ranging from 10 meters (33 feet) to 180 meters (591 feet). Its distribution range stretches from Indonesia in the west to Samoa in the east, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Rowley Shoals and New Caledonia, and also covers all of Micronesia. Like many species of reef fish, this is a sequential hermaphrodite: individuals start life as female, and transition to male in response to environmental and social factors. Males and females usually form separate single-sex aggregations near drop-offs that have strong currents, while solitary juveniles stay close to shelter. Mixed-sex aggregations of this species have also been recorded.
