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Sea goldie (female)

Pseudanthias squamipinnis

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Sea goldie (female)

Pseudanthias squamipinnis

Link to description on WikipediA

All Sea Goldies start life as females. Females are induced tot change by removal of the male from the social group. The largest, most dominant female in the school becomes a male. Large schools, with one male and many females, live as harems on reefs. Males will drive off any other males, and females will create a pecking order by beating up subordinates.

Females are orange tot yellow. Males are purplish with a yellow spot on the body scales and a large purplish blotch on  the pectoral fin. Males also have a greatly elongated thrid dorsal fin spine and a caudal fin with longer lobes than females.

(Sources: pets.thenest.com and australianmuseum.net.au)

Alternative names

Lyretail coralfish, Orange basslet, Orange fairy basslet, Orange seaperch, Red coral perch, Scalefin anthias.

Tags

Basslets, Fish