Description: Painted goldie anthias, also called the Pictilis anthias, are pinkish-blue with a large blue oval on their caudal fin and the rear third of the body is a bright orange-red.
Behavior: The Painted goldie anthias is a hermaphrodite, if the dominant male dies, the largest female of the group will change into a male to take his place. This species will often form “harems” which consists of one dominant male, 2- 12 females and a few less dominant males. The territorial males perform acrobatic displays and will vigorously defend the area where his “harem” is located. They often hide in crevices or caves in reefs.
Size: They can grow to six inches (15 cm) long. Diet: Painted goldie anthias feed mainly on
zooplankton and floating filamentous algae.
Communication: Territorial males perform U-swim displays within the group of females. This swim consists of the male starting above the reef, diving down toward the bottom, across and then back up to the top.
Reproduction: They reproduce by spawning. The female releases her eggs into the water and the male releases sperm.
Habitat/range: Painted goldie anthias inhabit steep outer reef slopes or drop-off areas in the Western Pacific -New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island and the southern Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
Status: Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
