Plectranthias

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Plectranthias
Plectranthias sagamiensis

Plectranthias sagamiensis

Systematics
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Perch-like (Perciformes)
Family : Sawfish (Serranidae)
Subfamily : Anthias (Anthiadinae)
Genre : Plectranthias
Scientific name
Plectranthias
Bleeker , 1873

Plectranthias is a genus of anthias (Anthiadinae). The fish live mainly in coral and rock reefs in the tropical Indo-Pacific, three species are found in the eastern Pacific and one ( P. garrupellus ) in the tropical western Atlantic.

features

Most species of Plectranthias reach standard lengths of 4.5 to 11 cm. Some become 15 to 20 cm long. Like most anthias, they have a reddish or yellowish basic color, but in their shape they are more similar to the real sawfish (Serraninae) or the tufted perch (Cirrhitidae). The body is oval to oblong and usually 2.3 to 3.1 times as long as it is high. The hard and soft rayed sections of the dorsal fin are separated from one another by a more or less pronounced incision. The body is covered by large, clearly defined comb scales. The head is more or less scaled. The lateral line , which runs parallel to the back line, only a few scales below the dorsal fin, is interrupted completely or below the soft-rayed section of the dorsal fin. The normally unscaled maxillary has a low ridge on its dorsal edge. The palate is dentate. The front and rear nostrils on each side of the head are close together, the front ones are at the end of a small tube. The preoperculum is dentate. Most jaw teeth are conical. Some of the front and one to three in the middle of each side of the lower jaw are elongated to fangs.

The last ray of the dorsal and anal fin splits at the base, but is counted as one ray. The pectoral fin rays are branched or unbranched. In species with branched pectoral fin rays, the juvenile fish can have unbranched pectoral fin rays. The fin bases of the unpaired fins and the pectoral fin are covered with small, thin scales.

The genus Plectranthias may not be monophyletic . The West Atlantic species P. garrupellus and the three East Pacific species ( P. exsul , P. nazcae and P. parini ) have a different, more original scale morphology than the Indo-Pacific species and since the scale morphology is an important characteristic in the anthropoid grouper taxonomy, the four species may be transferred to another genus.

Way of life

Plectranthias species live near the ground and hidden in rock and coral reefs at depths of 20 to 300 meters. In contrast to most of the other anthias, they tend to be solitary and avoid open water. Most Plectranthias species have fewer gill rakes than most other anthias and feed mainly on larger prey, such as crustaceans and small fish.

species

There are about 50 types of Plectranthias . Many species are little explored and only known from one or two locations or only one specimen collected. Since they often occur below the depth that an ordinary diver can reach, there are only a few prepared specimens of many species in the collections of natural science museums.

Plectranthias altipinnatus
Plectranthias inermis
Plectranthias kelloggi
Plectranthias longimanus
Plectranthias maculicauda

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Plectranthias garrupellus on Fishbase.org (English)
  2. ↑ a b c Allen, GR and F. Walsh (2015): Plectranthias bennetti , a new species of anthiine fish (Pisces: Serranidae) from the Coral Sea, Australia. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation v. 16: 82-89.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Heemstra, PC and JE Randall (2009): A review of the anthiine fish genus Plectranthias (Perciformes: Serranidae) of the western Indian Ocean, with description of a new species, and a key to the species. Smithiana, Publications in Aquatic Biodiversity, Bulletin v. 10: 3-17, pl. 1.
  4. ↑ a b c d Anderson WD, Heemstra PC (2012): Review of Atlantic and eastern Pacific Anthiine fishes (Teleostei: Perciformes: Serranidae), with descriptions of two new genera . Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, New Series 102 (2): 1-173. Pages 35–36.
  5. ↑ a b Shepherd, B., T. Phelps, HT Pinheiro, A. Pérez-Matus and LA Rocha (2018): Plectranthias ahiahiata , a new species of perchlet from a mesophotic ecosystem at Rapa Nui (Easter Island) (Teleostei, Serranidae , Anthiadinae). ZooKeys No. 762: 105-116.
  6. ↑ Plectranthias on Fishbase.org (English)