Common Name
Spectacular Seaperch
Year Described
Anderson & Heemstra, 1980
Identification
Dorsal Fin: X, 15-16 (usually 15)
Anal Fin: III, 7
Pelvic Fin: I, 5
Pectoral Fin: 17-19 (usually 18)
Lateral Line Scales: 36-40
Gill Rakers: 41-48 total in first arch
Moderately deep body, head 34-38% SL, and eye large (10-16% SL). Orbit longer than snout. Upper and lower jaws both with teeth, including larger canines. Vomerine patch diamond-shaped to almost triangular without a convex posterior extension. Tongue usually with teeth. Anterior nostril with a small flap. Most of head, and maxilla, covered in scales. Lateral line continuous. Scales around caudal peduncle 16-18. No notch at boundary of spiny and soft dorsal fin. Short fleshy filaments present on dorsal fin spines. Caudal fin deeply forked with elongate filaments in some fish. Pelvic fin with long filaments (up to 76% SL).
Color
Rosy red to violet above, becoming paler pink ventrally, with whitish scale centers laterally and ventrally. There is often a violet sheen on the flanks. There are four yellow stripes on the head: one a broken stripe above the opercle and rear head, one through the eye running to opercular margin, one passing under the orbit and running to the opercular edge, and another on the lower head running along the ventral midline to the pelvic fin. The two middle stripes continue as a line of yellow blotches to the caudal base. Eye yellow with a rosy red outer margin and brilliant violet markings. Dorsal fin yellow with rosy red spots and margin. Caudal fin yellow with a rosy red outer third. Pelvic and anal fins yellow. Pectoral fins salmon to pallid.
Size
Adults from 8.5-16.7cm SL.
Habitat
Deep reefs and hard bottoms from 160-260m.
Range
Scattered records from NE Brazil to Uruguay.
References
Anderson, W.D. Jr. and P.C. Heemstra. 1980. Two new species of Western Atlantic Anthias (Piseces: Serranidae), Redescription of A. asperilinguis and review of Holanthias martinicensis. Copeia 1980(1):72-87.
Anderson, W.D., Jr. and Heemstra, P.C. 2012. Review of Atlantic and eastern Pacific anthiine fishes (Teleostei: Perciformes: Serranidae), with descriptions of two new genera. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, 102 (2): 1-173.