Sunburst Anthias (Serranocirrhitus latus) Care Guide
Serranocirrhitus latus is a secretive Western Pacific anthias that often swims upside down beneath caves and overhangs.
Compiled by Aquairi from published sources · Published · Updated
Overview
Serranocirrhitus latus Watanabe, 1949 is a small reef-associated marine fish, the sole species in its genus. FishBase records a maximum total length of 13 cm. It is a secretive species that characteristically swims upside down beneath overhangs and cave ceilings.
Taxonomy
- Family: Serranidae (Anthiadidae in FishBase)
- Genus: Serranocirrhitus
- Scientific name: Serranocirrhitus latus Watanabe, 1949
Habitat
FishBase and Wikipedia record a Western Pacific distribution from the Moluccas to Fiji and Tonga, north to the Izu Islands and Taiwan, and south to New Caledonia and the Great Barrier Reef, including Palau. It occurs in inshore waters near coral reefs at depths of about 10 to 70 m, forming small groups or occurring singly near caves, ledges and drop-offs, and is faithful to specific shelters.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 400 L (about 106 gal) (KB record)
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Carbonate hardness range (record): 8-12 °dGH
- Lifespan: 4-10 years (KB record)
Diet
According to Wikipedia the species feeds primarily on zooplankton; FishBase classifies it as a carnivore with a trophic level near 3.4. Frequent small feedings suit this habit in aquaria.
Compatibility
This is a peaceful, mid-water species. Suitable companions include tangs, wrasses, clownfish and Genicanthus angelfish, while aggressive damselfish and triggerfish should be avoided.
Breeding
Wikipedia reports that the species is a protogynous hermaphrodite: dominant females change sex to male when males disappear from aggregations.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern, assessed 13 March 2015. FishBase lists it as of no interest to fisheries but of commercial value in the aquarium trade.
Serranocirrhitus latus Breeding Guide
Overview
Serranocirrhitus latus, the sunburst or fathead anthias, is a Western Pacific anthiine of the family Serranidae found from the Moluccas to Fiji at depths of about 15 to 70 metres. Unlike the open-water schooling anthias, it is more secretive, occurring in small groups near caves, ledges and drop-offs, often swimming upside-down close to cover, and feeds on zooplankton; it reaches about 13 cm.
Sexing
As an anthiine, the sunburst anthias follows the family pattern of protogynous hermaphroditism, in which fish mature first as females and a dominant female can change into a male. It is generally kept singly or in small groups rather than in the large harems typical of open-water Pseudanthias, and external sexing is far less obvious than in the brightly dimorphic schooling species.
Spawning Behavior & Trigger
Like other anthiines, this species is a pelagic broadcast spawner that releases eggs into the water column rather than tending a nest. Detailed spawning data for the sunburst anthias are not published, but in related anthias spawning concentrates near dusk and yields buoyant eggs that float at the surface and are collectable only with an evening egg collector.
Egg & Fry Care
Pelagic eggs hatch into minute planktonic larvae that feed within the plankton. In documented rearing of related anthias, larvae took copepods and settled into juveniles roughly a month after hatching. A home reef cannot reproduce the floating egg stage or the continuous live-plankton larval diet, so the sunburst anthias is not a home-breeding prospect despite being hardier to keep than schooling anthias.
Common Challenges
Although the sunburst anthias is often considered more peaceful and easier to maintain than open-water anthias, anthias aquaculture as a whole has succeeded for only a few species in institutional hatcheries. Its cryptic, cave-associated habits and unpublished spawning biology leave no realistic route to breeding it at home.