---
title: Anthias (Anthiinae)
scientific_name: Anthiinae
common_name: Anthias
rank: Subfamily
published: 2024-11-19T18:41:51.573Z
updated: 2026-08-03T21:25:41.480Z
tags: Anthias, Anthiinae, Red Sea, Marine Life, Diving
url: https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias
---

# Anthias (*Anthiinae*)

## Quick facts

- **Rank:** Subfamily
- **Scientific name:** Anthiinae
- **Body shape:** Elongate - Long and slender, but still fish-shaped - trumpetfishes, needlefishes, cornetfishes.
- **Species listed here:** 7

## How to recognise this group

- elongated body, small to medium size (5-20cm)
- forms dense aggregations hovering over reef slopes
- vibrant colours, often pinks, oranges, yellows
- prominent dorsal fins

Anthias are small, schooling fishes, typically 5-15 cm (2-6 inches) long, with some species reaching up to 20 cm (8 inches). Their bodies are generally elongated, often displaying bright colours, predominantly pinks, oranges, yellows, or purples. Many species show sexual dimorphism in their colour patterns and fin shapes. They possess prominent dorsal fins and often deeply forked caudal fins. The name Anthias derives from an ancient Greek term for a fish.

These fishes inhabit coral and rocky reef slopes and drop-offs, living from shallow depths down to over 60 meters (200 ft). They form dense aggregations that hover above the reef, feeding on zooplankton plucked from the water column. Divers frequently encounter these schools along exposed reef fronts. Their social structures typically involve a dominant male overseeing a group of females, with many species exhibiting protogynous hermaphroditism, allowing females to change sex to male.


## Species (7)

- [Broadstriped Anthias (Pseudanthias taeniatus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias/broadstriped-anthias)
- [Dwarf Perchlet (Plectranthias nanus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias/dwarf-perchlet)
- [Lunate Anthias (Pseudanthias lunulatus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias/lunate-anthias)
- [Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias/lyretail-anthias)
- [Orangehead Anthias (Pseudanthias heemstrai)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias/orangehead-anthias)
- [Redblotched Perchlet (Plectranthias winniensis)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias/redblotched-perchlet)
- [Redstripe Anthias (Pseudanthias gibbosus)](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias/redstripe-anthias)

---

*Source: [Red Sea Creatures](https://redseacreatures.com/taxon/fishes/bony-fishes/anthias)*
*Updated: August 3, 2026*