Visit Our Diving Center
View our Accommodation
  • Immersioni
    • Corsi Diving
    • Apnea Diving
    • Immersioni Accompagnate
    • Listino Prezzi Sub
  • Alloggio
  • Offerte Speciali
  • Servizi di Vacanza
  • Siti di Immersione
  • Gozo
  • Chi siamo
  • Contattaci
Negozio on-line Dive Checkin
  • IT
    • EN
    • FR
    • DE
    • PL
  • Immersioni
    • Corsi Diving
    • Apnea Diving
    • Immersioni Accompagnate
    • Listino Prezzi Sub
  • Alloggio
  • Offerte Speciali
  • Servizi di Vacanza
  • Siti di Immersione
  • Gozo
  • Chi siamo
  • Contattaci
27. 12. 201727. 12. 2017

Anthias anthias (Swallowtail Seaperch)

Home » Blog » Anthias anthias (Swallowtail Seaperch)
Anthias anthias

Anthias anthias, the Swallowtail Seaperch, is a colourful marine fish found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

The genus Anthias belongs to the subfamily Anthiadinae, family Serranidae (the family of groupers and sea basses), order Perciformes, class Actinopterygii, phylum Chordata and kingdom Animalia.

The Swallowtail Seaperch lives at a depth ranging from 15 to 200 metres, amongst rocks and corals where it remains hidden in caves and crevices during the day.  It is a nocturnal fish, leaving only at night to feed on zooplankton, small crustaceans and tiny fish.  It has an interesting feature: they are all hermaphrodites, born females and, possibly at some point in their lives, they can turn into males.

Generally, when the male dies, the largest female changes her sex to become a male.  It is a gregarious species that travels in groups.  These groups mainly comprise females with a single male, recognizable by his fins which are larger than the females’.

The Swallowtail Seaperch can grow to a maximum length of 27 centimetres, although it usually measures from 12 to 18 centimetres.  Its body is rather deep, generally its length being 2½ times its depth.  As an example, if a Swallowtail Seaperch is 6 centimetres deep, then its length is expected to be 15 centimetres.  The pelvic fins are much longer than the pectoral fins.  The caudal fin has acute lobes, the lower being longer than the upper.  The lateral line is complete, ending at the base of the caudal fin.  The scales are rather large, counting 36 to 39 in the lateral line.

Anthias anthias vary from pink to red in colour, with 3 yellow lines on each side of the head.  Quite often, one can also spot brown blotches on the back.  It is also easily recognized by the pelvic fins, which are developed and yellow in colour, which in males turn red during the reproduction season.

Mating takes place from June to October.  The male marks his territory, whose surface he cleans for the females to come and lay their sticky eggs.  The male then cares for the eggs, providing them with ventilation.

The photo of this group of Swallowtail Seaperches was taken at a depth of 40m outside of the Blue Hole, a natural feature at Dwejra, not far from the popular Inland Sea, on Gozo’s west coast.

Photo taken by Brian Azzopardi

Notizie simili

Bath Sponge
05. 02. 2021

Bath Sponge (Spongia officinalis)

Spongia officinalis, better known as a variety of Bath Sponge, is a commercially used sea sponge.  Individuals grow in large...

Di più
Green Boring Sponge
09. 01. 202109. 01. 2021

Green Boring Sponge (Cliona viridis)

Cliona viridis, the Green Boring Sponge, is a species of demosponge found along the eastern coast of the Atlantic Ocean,...

Di più
Merry Christmas
11. 12. 2020

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year 2021

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year 2021 Wishing you all the best ! Happy Holidays from the Atlantis Gozo...

Di più

Reviews

Tolles Center für Sport- Tec und Rebreather Taucher. Bestens zu empfehlen 😃, immer wieder gerne hier 👍.
Manfred Kleemann
Manfred Kleemann
2022-05-23T05:51:17+0000
Our club goes out to Malta/Gozo every year and Atlantis was by far the best centre we have dealt with. The communication building up to the trip was great. So helpful. Our club has a mixed range of diver levels and Atlantis made sure that all our levels was covered. On arrival the welcome was very warming. They couldn’t have been more helpful. Once the admin and kit issue was done we was on our way. The end I’ve every day the team was on hand to assist us making sure we was all prepared for the following day. Nitrox, stages, fills and so on. The end of our trip the staff even came to the apartment to say farewell and seen us off. One of our club members left their regs by mistake but the team contacted us and meet us at the ferry port to return them. Thank you so much!!! We will be returning next year.
Alex Lucas
Alex Lucas
2022-04-21T07:36:58+0000
Highly recommended dive centre! We got all needed services in very friendly atmosphere. Thank you!!
Gedimas Usack
Gedimas Usack
2021-11-27T20:24:01+0000
I did a package deal of 10 dives with Atlantis and was extremely impressed from the get go. The center was very well equipped and maintained and the staff were awesome, totally committed to making sure everyone was welcomed and having fun whilst keeping a high level of professionalism. The guides (Denis, Georgia, Apollo, George) were very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend Atlantis to anyone looking for a solid and trustworthy center with fair prices. P.s. Go in November, its way less busy and the vis is still good!
Jakob Wayne Víkingur Robertson
Jakob Wayne Víkingur Robertson
2021-11-18T01:22:10+0000
awesome place awesome people!
Richard Binks
Richard Binks
2021-10-20T05:07:13+0000
‹
›

Newsletter

Iscriviti alla nostra newsletter, ricevi le ultime notizie e le offerte speciali da parte del team Atlantis! Facendo questo accetti i nostri Privacy Policy

Mailchimp
Sending
  • Chi siamo
    • Lavora con noi
    • Partner
  • Immersioni
    • Corsi Diving
    • Corsi PADI
    • CMAS & VDST Kurse
    • BSAC Courses
    • Corsi di Specialità
    • Immersioni Accompagnate
    • Immersioni non-accompagnate
    • Immersioni TEK
    • Noleggio attrezzatura
    • Listino Prezzi Sub
  • Siti di Immersione
  • Servizi di Vacanza
    • Alloggio
    • Trasferimento da/per aeroporto
    • Autonoleggio
    • Escursioni
  • Offerte Speciali
  • Gozo
  • Galleria di foto
    • Ringraziamenti per le foto
  • Contattaci

Copyright © 2023 Atlantis Diving Center. All rights reserved.
Informativa sulla privacy | CONDIZIONI GENERALI | Refund Policy

Website designed & developed by