Jewelfish, Golden Pseudanthias squamipinnis
Description
The Golden Jewel Anthias is also known as the Sea Goldie, the Lyretail Coralfish, Lyretail Anthias and Scalefin Anthias. It is a small species of colorful fish and shows marked sexual differences. Females are smaller than males at 7 cm length, and are orange/gold in color. Males are up to 15 cm and are fuschia in color. The male also has an elongated third ray of the dorsal fin, a red patch on the pectoral fin and elongated margins of the tail ends. They are protogenous hermaphrodytes and begin life as female, but in the absense of a male, a female is induced to become male, a sex reversal process which takes 2-4 weeks.
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Range
Indo-Pacific including the Red Sea. As far east as Japan and southeast as Australia. Absent from the Persian Gulf and Oman.
Habitat
Coral outcrops in clear lagoons, patch reefs, and steep slopes to a depth of 35 m, often found in the company of Chromus diademata.
Gestation
Development from spawning to hatching lasts about 3 weeks.
Litter
Hundreds of eggs are spawned, exact number are unavailable. Successful males spawn nightly with successive females.
Behavior
They are often found in very large schools above the reef. Like other Anthias, the Golden Jewel Anthias are protogynous hermaphrodites. Males are territorial and have many females (haremic), developing a bond with between 5 to 10 females. When the male dies, one of the females will undergo sex reversal and take the place of the missing male. Color patterns and body size varies slightly from one locality to the next during this transition.
Reproduction
Spawning occurs at sunset, between December and February (in the Red Sea).
Diet (Wild)
It feeds primarily on plankton.
Conservation Status
Least Concern
Primary Threats
Illegal Wildlife Trade for pet status, but not a major threat at this time.