Pseudanthias leucozonus is a rare Pseudanthias species that almost secretively hidden from aquarist because it is restricted to Izu Peninsula region and nearby islands. Even though there are some record of Pseudanthias leucozonus from the trade that happened to be collected from Bali, this one is holding real Japanese identity, so it’s fetching a lot higher price than the one imported from Indonesia.
This Pseudanthias species is easily identified by the white chin and the white stripe in the middle of the body like its common name, white-bar fairy-basslet. The specimen that arrived in Thailand is the female that will eventually to transform into a male; as visible from the yellowish coloration that is changing into more reddish at the back part of the body.
Along with this shipment, there was also another rare hawkfish made available, the Japanese Golden Hawkfish (Cirrhitichthys aureus); an easy to keep fish, but uncommon species in the trade.
Both spectacular fish landed to Thailand yesterday and remain at Angel World Aquarium where they have started feeding, a good sign while they’re waiting for their new owner.
