Square-spot fairy basslet (Pseudanthias pleurotaenia)

Scientific name: Pseudanthias pleurotaenia Bleeker, 1857

The Square-spot fairy basslet (Pseudanthias pleurotaenia) is a marine fish of the family Serranidae. In the aquarium it needs water at 22–27°C (72–81°F). Native range: Pacific Ocean, Indonesia to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Rowley Shoals in the eastern Indian Ocean and New Caledonia.

Square-spot fairy basslet care at a glance

Temperature: 22–27°C (72–81°F)

Biology

Dorsal spines (total): 10; Dorsal soft rays (total): 16-18; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 6 - 7. Highly variable in color and also in the size of the pale blotch (looks blue in natural light). Latter varied from being totally absent to an area almost half the body size, especially when showing nuptial colors. At the Rowley Shoals, off the north-western Australian coast, it only shows the blotch when nuptial.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name: Pseudanthias pleurotaenia
Family: Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets)
Order: Perciformes (Perch-like fish)
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length: 20.0
Depth range: 10–180 m (33–591 ft)
Environment: Marine; reef-associated; depth range 10 - 180 m, usually 25 - 180 m
Climate: Tropical
Distribution: Pacific Ocean: Indonesia to Samoa, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Rowley Shoals in the eastern Indian Ocean and New Caledonia.
Conservation status (IUCN): Least Concern (LC)
Threat to humans: Harmless
Resilience: High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Last updated 27 September 2026