Indo-Pacific

Anthias are protogynous hermaphrodites. They are all born female. When a male dies, one of the larger female anthias changes into a male. Most anthias remain female; even a large school of anthias like this one has only a few males.

Bright orange anthias are one of the mostcommon sights on the Indo-Pacific reefs, and as Richard Aspinall explains, you can learn a lot from watching these tiny fish

Photographs by Richard Aspinall

“W atch the anthias,” the guide said, as we shuffled around in the Zodiac, locating fins, cameras and buddies. “If they’re swimming away from the reef, there’s

I’m not sure where I was, somewhere in the Red Sea, it was the best part of 20 years ago and possibly my first overseas trip. That advice has stayed with me. It remains one of the most-useful things I’ve ever been told, and I’ve been taking my cues from the fish ever since.

I’ve grown to love anthias. I never get tired of hanging off a reef wall as they dive in and out of the coral heads. I’m transfixed as they disappear into the reef and then emerge en masse, as a hungry jack passes by. Thousands of eyes are alert for predators and when spotted, the fish move as one, into shelter and then out again - a living cloud over the coral - before swimming into the current once more.

For many of us UK and European divers, with plenty of trips to the Red Sea in our log books, when we think of

anthias, it’s likely we’re all thinking of the same fish. My guide, all those years back, was talking about the lyretail anthias, the bright orange, always on-the-go fish found in groups of a few dozen to many thousands on most Red Sea reefs. Also known as the sea goldie, the wreckfish and scientifically, Pseudanthias squamipinnis, it is found from the Red Sea to south-eastern Australia. For many, it is the quintessential anthias and I adore it.

Anthias belong to a large group of fishes related to grouper and sea bass, in a family called the Serranidae. Within that group is the subfamily Anthiinae, which is then further divided to the genus level. Taxonomy appears overly complicated, but in principle it’s not. It’s a system for sorting out who is most closely related to who. Each descending tier holds fewer and fewer species, which are increasingly related. Think of branches, twigs, twiglets and leaves if it helps. The Serranids are the main boughs and the individual fish, the leaves. Seven genera of anthias are found on reef habitats, with the lyretail in the Pseudanthias genus, along with 60 or so closely related species. Many are shallowwater dwelling, though some are deep water specialists. They all tend to be richly coloured.

Venture deep enough in certain spots in the Mediterranean, in the Aegean for example, or poke about in a large enough wreck and you’ll find a fish easily mistaken for its tropical relatives. This is anthias anthias, and the Anthiinae are named after it. Like some of its tropical cousins, it’s not a fish of the bright shallows, this fish dwells deeper.

Past the rocky shorelines and beyond the swaying sea

grass meadows, and where the geology allows, you find temperate reefs much closer in appearance to tropical ones. At around 40m, and where currents are the norm, vast growth of filter-feeding gorgonians and other delicate life cloaks the rocks. Here, just like in the tropics, anthias swim into the prevailing currents picking out passing morsels.

It is possible to find anthias anthias in shallower water, they can sometimes be seen sheltering in overhangs, but perhaps the best location is a shipwreck, which they sensibly consider to be a dark, safe cave they’ll emerge from, when the sun goes down. The holds and companionways of wrecks offer a chance to witness a quirky side of anthias’ behaviour - they sometimes spend a lot of time upside down. I’ve seen this with many anthias species.

I remember a dive into the interior of the Giannis D. I’d found the remains of the binnacle, surrounded by sweepers (the right way up). The anthias had decided the roof of the deck above was their chosen spot. I’m still not sure if they were swimming under it or over it. When gravity scarcely matters, it is understandable behaviour, but it can be disorientating to us gravity-bound mammals.

It is easy to look at a reef and think it is a harmonious and peaceful place. It is not! A thriving reef is a place of enormous competition for light, space, food and in many cases the opposite sex.

Anthias start out as females - they’re protogynous hermaphrodites, to use the technical term. Juvenile fish will settle out from the plankton and form small groupings, all females. Over time, in absence of a male, the largest and most dominant will slowly transform into a male. Sometimes you find gangs of mainly one sex or another, but the haremic structure is the norm. If a male is lost, the highest-ranking female changes sex and takes over.

Harems contain around five to 15 females, but this varies with species. Males spend their time hovering further away from the reef, keeping an eye out for wandering females or other males looking to encroach on their territory. The males must work hard to maintain their lifestyle and it is only the strongest that pass on their genes. If you watch them, you notice they’re picking away at the plankton almost constantly, to keep their energy levels up.

Getting a photo of a shoal of anthias is easy, but getting an image you are pleased with that does justice to your memories is a different matter. I’m not an expert photographer, my images have been in a few magazines, but I have to work very hard to get shots I’m pleased with.

I hinted at one of my first suggestions earlier. Stay shallow. In the Red Sea, the anthias are often 5-10m deep. They’re bathed in light and you can easily capture brilliant colours. If surge or current aren’t issues, enjoy an extended safety stop. Watch out though, you can easily be washed towards the reef and, of course, you are at greater risk from passing boat traffic. By far the best method, for me anyway, is to find an isolated pinnacle, easily accessed without damaging anything. Give the fish time to relax before firing your trigger. Be mindful, your strobes, if you have them, will cause the fish to temporarily dive back into the coral. Movement can be an issue so select a fast shutter to freeze the fish’s rapid swimming. A good tip is to shoot upwards using your strobes to fill in the foreground. Getting slightly below your subject can help with composition, meaning you can capture the reef, with clear blue water behind it. Portrait shots are best had in these scenarios, the fish will not venture far from shelter, and you can easily use a macro lens (or setting) to capture the anthias’ sometimes outrageous colours. You’ll need to be patient and do think of your buddy.

When I tell sceptical people that there were ’thousands of fish’, I only need show them an image of anthias, and my point is proven. n