Anthias are members of the family Anthiadidae in the order Perciformes. The group has also been called Anthiidae or Anthiinae, but these names are preoccupied by a subfamily of ground beetles in the family Carabidae erected by Bonelli in 1813.
Anthias are mostly small, thus are quite popular within the ornamental fish trade. They form complex social structures based on the number of males and females and also their position on the reef itself, and are mainly zooplankton feeders. They occur in all tropical oceans and seas of the world. The first species recognized in this group was described in the Mediterranean and northeast Atlantic and was given name Anthias anthias by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
Anthias can shoal by the thousands. Anthias do school in these large groups, though they tend toward more intimate subdivisions within the school, appropriately called "harems". These consist of one dominant, colorful male, and two to 12 females — which have their own hierarchy among them — and up to two 'subdominant' males, often less brightly colored and not territorial. Within the swarm of females, territorial males perform acrobatic U-swim displays and vigorously defend an area of the reef and its associated harem.
Most anthias are protogynous hermaphrodites. These anthias are born female; if a dominant male perishes, the largest female of the group will often change into a male to take its place. This may lead to squabbling between the next-largest male, which sees an opportunity to advance, and the largest female, whose hormones are surging with testosterone.
Seven genera of anthias are known to occur in coral reef ecosystems: Holanthias, Luzonichthys, Nemanthias, Pseudanthias, Plectranthias, Rabaulichthys, and Serranocirrhitus. Members of all these genera make it into the aquarium trade, although Pseudanthias is by far the most encountered in the hobby.
Genera The following genera are classified within the family:
Acanthistius Gill, 1862 Aepysomanthias Tang & Chen, 2025 Anatolanthias Anderson, Parin & Randall, 1990 Anthias Bloch, 1792 Baldwinella Anderson & Heemstra, 2012 Caesioperca Castelnau, 1872 Caprodon Temminck & Schlegel, 1843 Choranthias Anderson & Heemstra, 2012 Compsanthias Gill, 2024 Dactylanthias Bleeker, 1871 Epinephelides Ogilby, 1899 Giganthias Katayama, 1954 Hemanthias Steindachner, 1875 Holanthias Günther 1868 Hypoplectrodes Gill, 1862 Lepidoperca Regan, 1914 Luzonichthys Herre, 1936 Meganthias Randall & Heemstra, 2006 Mirolabrichthys Herre, 1927 Nemanthias J. L. B. Smith, 1954 Odontanthias Bleeker, 1873 Othos Castelnau, 1875 Pelontrus J. L. B. Smith, 1961 Plectranthias Bleeker, 1873 Poroanthias Tang & Chen, 2025 Pronotogrammus Gill, 1863 Pseudanthias Bleeker, 1871 Rabaulichthys Allen, 1984 Sacura Jordan & Richardson, 1910 Sayonara Jordan & Seale, 1906 Selenanthias Tanaka, 1918 Serranocirrhitus Watanabe, 1949 Tosana H.M. Smith & Pope, 1906 Tosanoides Kamohara, 1953 Trachypoma Günther, 1859 Xenanthias Regan, 1908 Zalanthias Jordan & Richardson, 1910
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