This blazing-red bottom dweller was photographed by Roberto Pillon/CC BY 3.0
This brilliantly-colored fish has a lot going for it. With a maximum total length of only 8.0 cm (3.15 inches) but more commonly seen at 6.5 cm TL (2.55 inches), it seems like an ideal candidate for the modern mixed reef aquarium, with the flashy visual appeal of a midlife-crisis sportscar purchase, a fishkeeper’s cool little red Corvette.
According to FishBase, our mystery species is “a resident intertidal species with homing behavior. Adults are found in shallow rocky shores to 6 m. They feed on benthic invertebrates. Eggs are hemispherical and covered with numerous sticky threads that anchor them in the algae on the nesting sites. Larvae are planktonic which occur primarily in shallow, nearshore waters.”
So what is this mystery fish? Please keep your answers to yourself, and don’t post spoilers! All will be revealed in the next CORAL Magazine newsletter! Don’t miss out – be sure you’re signed up for the CORAL newsletter!
