Longfin Perchlet

The longfin perchlet is a tiny, secretive relative of the groupers, only about 3.5 to 4cm long, named for its long, pointed pectoral fins and rarely seen by divers.

It lives singly in crevices, around bommies and among small boulders, on sandy slopes of coastal reefs rich in algae and invertebrate growth. Expect it typically between 5m and 45m and occasionally to 75m, from East Africa to Fiji, north to southern Japan and south to Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef.

Appearance

The body is pale and mottled, tan to reddish, with a complex pattern of brown zigzag stripes or blotches. Black and white spots sit near the tail and anal fin, and the tips of the dorsal spines are often red. Seen up close through a macro lens, the head looks like that of a grouper in miniature.

Behaviour

Expect to work hard to find one. It lives alone on coastal reefs and drop-offs and spends nearly all its time out of sight in dark crevices or among rubble. It keeps to these hiding places where other anthias would swim in open water.

Feeding

Food is mainly zooplankton and tiny crustaceans such as small shrimps and copepods.

Relationship with people

It is seldom collected for the aquarium trade, so hobbyists count it as a rare find. Even in a small, peaceful tank it stays timid, and its keepers may get only the odd glimpse of it dashing out of a rocky cave at feeding time.