Fish
Bigspot Anthias
Pseudanthias connelli
A small, jewel-coloured anthias hovering in shoals over deep KZN reefs, well below normal free-diving depth.
Also known as bigspot anthias, bigspot fairy basslet, bigspot rockcod, connell's anthias
- Typical size
- Usually under 15 cm
- Habitat
- Deep offshore reefs
- Depth
- Roughly 40-120 m
Connell's anthias is a diminutive, pinkish-red fairy basslet with a scattering of larger spots and the elongated fin rays typical of the group. It rarely exceeds the length of a hand, and males carry brighter colour and slightly extended fins than the paler females.
In South African waters it lives on deep offshore reefs off KwaZulu-Natal, generally well beyond recreational free-diving range, where shoals hang just off the reef picking plankton from the current. It is of little angling interest and is most often encountered by deep divers or in trawl and line bycatch rather than deliberately targeted.