13/12/2006 - FijiFAQ#4 - What are the little orange fish called?
They are called Lyretail or Scalefin Anthias (Pseudanthias squamimpinnis, 1855). Seeing an abundance of these brilliantly-hued fish while Goggling is a magical experience and photographers the world over must reel off countless frames in an effort to capture them as representatives of a 'vibrant reef'.
They are present on most tropical reefs but thrive in areas with strong current flow, where they can shoal in thousands. Within a shoal they are divided into groups consisting of a harem of orange females, a few non-territorial and one dominant male. The sexually dimorphic males are purple in colour, with the dominant male patroling a territory of up to three metres, depending on the density of orange females.
  
When the dominant male dies one of the other males could take his place. However, being hermaphrodites, it could be one of the larger females that assumes his role. If the latter occurs the change of sex takes place over a period of up to two weeks. During this time there will be much bickering, with the female and her raging testosterone levels having to fight off the remaining males in her effort to take control of the harem.
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