The Pseudochromis sankeyi, commonly known as the striped dottyback, is a species of ray-finned fish indigenous to the 🌊 Western Indian Ocean, belonging to the Pseudochromidae family. This marine species is typically associated with coral reefs in tropical regions and is found at depths ranging from 2 to 10 meters. The striped dottyback can attain a maximum length of 7 cm and is commonly found inhabiting rocky and coralline ledges and caves.
The species is named in honor of Richard D. Sankey, a British collector and marine fish wholesaler, who provided study specimens to Roger Lubbock. Geographically, Pseudochromis sankeyi is distributed throughout the southern 🌊 Red Sea, the Gulf of Tadjoura (🇩🇯 Djibouti), the 🇾🇪 Yemeni coast of the northern 🌊 Gulf of Aden, and the Socotra (🇾🇪 Yemen) Archipelago.
In the Socotra (🇾🇪 Yemen) Archipelago, this species is predominantly recorded along the northern coasts among hard coral communities, including those dominated by Millepora and Porites species, as well as encrusting and massive corals from the families Agariciidae, Pectiniidae, and Mussidae. They are also found in mixed communities of macroalgae and hard corals on rocky platforms and within encrusting communities on exposed rocky platforms and near vertical rocky drop-offs. The striped dottyback is known to form colonies and has been successfully bred in captivity.
Why it's threatened
Threat classification from the IUCN Red List.
