Author: Linnaeus, 1758
Anthias anthias Linnaeus, 1758
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Anthias anthias (Linnaeus, 1758) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: body rather deep, its depth two and a half times in standard length. D X + 15, third spine elongate; A III + 7; pelvic fins much longer than pectoral fins; caudal fin with acute lobes, lower longer than upper. Lateral line complete, ending at base of caudal fin. Scales large, 36-39 in lateral line. Colour: red or pink, three yellow lines on sides of head; often brownish blotches on back. Size: to 27 cm SL, usually 12-18 cm.
Habitat: rocks, gravels, submarine caves on continental shelf and upper slope to about 200 m. Nocturnal. Food: crustaceans, small fishes. Reproduction: spring and summer, with local variations. Protogynous.
Distribution: Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic northward to Portugal and the Azores. Elsewhere, southward to Angola.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Lo Bianco, 1909: 694 | Fage, 1918: 31, fig. 18-20 | Roule and Angel, 1930: 90, pl. 5 (fig. 117-119) | Spartà , 1932a: 1-11, fig. 1-8 | Bertolini, 1933: 321, fig. 251, pl. 20 (fig. 7-12).
Otoliths (sagitta). Chaine, 1935: 169, pl. 14.