Plectranthias winniensisandP. helenaeare two species of this adorable group of basslets that grace the pages of Reef Builders today for very good reason. Reef Culture Technologies Hawaii has been trailblazing the captive rearing of various marine fish genera and species; first by captive spawning and breeding many different species ofCentropyge, and then byrearing the larvae from eggsthat can be collected through plankton tows off the shores of Oahu Hawaii.
Recent “captive raised” successes that are the result from fertilized eggs collected from plankton filter nets include popular aquarium fish like theyellow anthias,ornate wrasse,bicolor anthiasandbluespotted grouper. Apparently all that work with various serranid fishes has paid off because RCT Hawaii has also successfully raised two even more exciting new species,Plectranthias winniensisandPlectranthias helenae.
Plectranthiaswinniensisis a slender species in this genus which is the least patterned of all its congeners. With an overall reddish body that fades to orange in the center of the body,Plectranthias winniensisis practically unadorned save for a small white spot that is usually visible on the base of the caudal peduncle.
This species is virtually unknown in the aquarium hobby but is is sometimes encountered by divers at depths around 30m (100ft) or greater.Plectranthias winniensisgrows up to 10 cm long, but is usually encountered at a much smaller size, and it is found in Japan, the northwest Pacific Ocean, and Hawaiian Islands.
MeanwhilePlectranthias helenaeis known in the aquarium hobby but only in Asia, albeit still rare and under the more commonly usedPlectranthiassp. 4. We’ve featuredP. helenaeas anunknown species of Plectranthiasbefore, but together with meristic observations from Frank Baensch and his captive reared fish, we can affirm thatPlectranthias helenaeis indeed among us. At its tiny size of just 2.5 cm the juvenilePlectranthias helenaeraised by RCT Hawaii is a dead ringer in appearance forPlectranthias garrupellusbut that species is only known from the deep waters of the west Atlantic Ocean.
The head spines, huge pectoral fins ofPlectranthias winniensisand the large pelvic fins and dorsal fin extension ofPlectranthias helenaeare specializations to aid survival in the pelagic world. It’s amazing how differently these species have evolved – for being in the same genus. The P. nanus juvenile is 88 dph/25 mm TL. The juveniles ofP. helenaewere fully colored by 45 days post hatch while forP. winniensisthe transformation completed by 80 days post hatch.