Breeding Evans's Anthias (Pseudanthias evansi)

Pseudanthias evansi is an Indian Ocean schooling anthias, a sex-changing planktivore whose pelagic spawning and planktonic larvae make home breeding effectively impractical.

Overview

Pseudanthias evansi (family Serranidae), Evans's or yellowback anthias, is an Indian Ocean endemic ranging from East Africa to the Cocos-Keeling and Christmas islands. FishBase records a maximum length of 12 cm standard length, a depth range of 4-40 m, and describes it as a schooling species along the upper parts of drop-offs and outer reef lagoons that feeds at various depths to near the surface in pursuit of zooplankton.

Sexing

As an anthias, this species is a protogynous hermaphrodite: individuals mature first as females and a female transforms into a male when the dominant male disappears from the group. The larger, more brightly coloured males are the practical cue to sex within a school.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Pseudanthias are haremic, with a single dominant male, and reproduce as pelagic broadcast spawners that release eggs and sperm into the water column. The buoyant eggs and the larvae that hatch from them drift as plankton, with no nest site or parental care.

Common Challenges

The species' schooling, current-swept habitat, intense zooplankton feeding requirement, pelagic eggs and long planktonic larval phase together place its reproduction beyond the reach of a home aquarium, which cannot supply open-water spawning conditions or a continuous fine live-food culture.