Odontanthias randalli is the newest species of anthias to be described from this fantastic genus of colorful reef fish. Hailing from the southern region of Indonesia, O. randalli was described from specimens discovered in Lombok fish markets which were caught by hook and line by fishermen fishing reefs at a depth of over 100 meters (330 feet). The newly described O. randalli is mostly pink with a the upper half of the body having a yellow spot on each scale, the pink head is traversed by a few thin yellow lines and the lunate caudal fin has a large yellow marking edged in pink.
The appearance of Odontanthias randalli is most similar to Odontanthias katayamai, a specimen of which made its way to Blue Harbor earlier this year. With the remoteness and extreme depth where Odontanthias randalli occurs, we’re not likely to ever see this species in the aquarium trade but it’s nice to know that wherever researchers look at deep reef environments they often find new and exciting unknown reef fish.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
