Purple anthias (Pseudanthias tuka)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Pseudanthias tuka
- Common name
- Purple anthias
- Category
- Fish
- Family
- Anthiadidae
- Genus
- Pseudanthias
- Size
- 8–12 cm
- Depth
- 5–40 m
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- coral-reef
- Behaviours
- schooling
- Ocean zones
- Asian Pacific
Description
Pseudanthias tuka reaches 12 cm. Indo-Pacific anthias with spectacular color phases. Uniformly purple-pink females with yellow belly, terminal males bright purple-magenta with long filamentous fins and characteristic white lines. Protogynous hermaphrodite. Lives in dense schools from 5 to 40 m on coral drop-offs of central and western Indo-Pacific (Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Maldives). Rarer and deeper than P. squamipinnis. Wide-angle photo subject for extraordinary colors against blue.
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the Purple anthias?
- Purple anthias (Pseudanthias tuka) reaches 8–12 cm in length.
- At what depth can you find the Purple anthias?
- Purple anthias is found between 5–40 m deep.
- Is the Purple anthias dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Purple anthias?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Purple anthias?
- Found in: Asian Pacific.
Other species in the genus Pseudanthias
- Pseudanthias dispar - Redfin anthias
- Pseudanthias squamipinnis - Sea goldie
- Pseudanthias heemstrai - Heemstra's anthias
- Pseudanthias evansi - Evans' anthias
- Pseudanthias bicolor - Bicolor anthias
- Pseudanthias huchtii - Huchtupp's Anthias
Other species in the family Anthiadidae
- Nemanthias carberryi - Carberry's anthias
- Luzonichthys waitei - Waite's splitfin
- Plectranthias inermis - Unarmed perchlet
- Tosanoides obama - Obama Basslet
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 218272)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 2387643)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia