Cold and temperate sea fish

Swallowtail Seaperch

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Identity card

Swallowtail Seaperch

Scientific name:: anthias anthias

Family:: Serranidae

Class:: Actinopterygii

Phylum:: Chordata

Year of description:: Linnaeus, 1758

IUCN Status:: Least Concern

CITES-status:: Not Evaluated

Distribution:: Mediterranean Sea, Eastern Atlantic, English Channel and the North Sea.

Habitat:: Between 15 and 300 metres deep.

Size:: It can grow up to 25 cm.

Diet:: Fish, crustaceans, fish larvae and marine worms.

The swallowtail seaperch is a gregarious fish: it can form large shoals.

This species is hermaphrodite. The swallowtail seaperch is born female and then changes sex to become male. The swallowtail seaperch is carnivorous and feeds on small fish and crustaceans, fish larvae and marine worms.

did you know?

Where is the animal to be found?

The swallowtail seaperch is a bright pink fish that can be found in the seas and oceans around France. It lives mainly in rocky areas at depths of 15 to 300 metres.

It is found in underwater caves, along ledges, near overhangs and shipwrecks.

How can it be recognised?

The swallowtail seaperch has a bright pink oval body; the edge of the scales is golden yellow.
This fish has a sharply tapered caudal fin and three horizontal yellow streaks on the head.
It can grow up to 25 cm.