The Immaculate Clade: smithvanizi, parvirostris, unimarginatus, bimarginatus & cf bimarginatus “Africa” This clade can be recognized by the thick lavender margins of the caudal fin and the usual presence of a thin red stripe along the base of the dorsal fin. Four of the five species [...]
The Red-banded Clade: lori, flavoguttatus, privitera, aurulentus & cf aurulentus “Coral Sea” The last clades to discuss are best recognized by lacking the stripe running posteroventrally from the eye, a character otherwise seen in most (all?) other Pseudanthias. Also unique are the [...]
The Sail-finned Clade: Pseudanthias evansi, tuka, pascalus, & cf pascalus “Fiji” & “Tahiti” It is clear that P. tuka, P. pascalus and P. evansi form a single group, as they share a number of unique characters: 1) The elongated “forehead” between the eyes and the placement [...]
The Arc-finned Clade This well-defined grouping has a number of features setting it apart from other Mirolabrichthys. Most readily observable to an aquarist is the smooth edge to the dorsal fin. This is due to the interspinal membranes of the fin extending to the tips of the dorsal fin spines, [...]
Nuptial P. ignitus in the Maldives. Credit: asino48 The genus Pseudanthias, known commonly as fairy basslets, is a diverse group of colorful schooling reef fishes popular amongst aquarists. It has traditionally been split into three subgenera—Franzia, Mirolabrichthys, and Pseudanthias sensu [...]
