Sea Goldie

Pseudanthias squamipinnis

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Anthiadidae
Genus: Pseudanthias
Species: Pseudanthias squamipinnis

The sea goldie (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), or scalefin anthias, is an orange anthias; females are golden-orange, while males are pinkish-purple with a long third dorsal spine and a red patch on the pectoral fin.

It grows to about 15 cm and lives in large shoals above the reef, feeding on plankton carried by the current. Each shoal contains many females and a few males, and if a male disappears, a dominant female can change sex to replace him.

The sea goldie is found across the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, where its shoals bring colour to reef slopes and drop-offs. It often shares the reef with the red-cheeked anthias.