The world’s first exhibition of the Churashima perchlet, a new species which is endemic to the Ryukyu Islands!

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium is happy to announce the world’s first exhibition of the Churashima perchlet, a new species which is endemic to the Ryukyu Islands.

≪チュラシマハナダイ≫
Scientific name：Plectranthias ryukyuensis
English name：Churashima perchlet

In 2020, it was described as a new species of anthias that inhabits the deep sea. Its body is less than 10 cm in length with beautiful yellow patches on its sides. It is found only in the waters around the main island of Okinawa and the Amami Islands, and is thought to be endemic to the Ryukyu Islands. So far seven Churashima perchlets have been found, and out of the seven, two of these individuals are on display.

Place of exhibit

Small Life in the Deep Sea in the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium

Size of Exhibit

One individuals（About 6cm in length）
*Exhibit may close depending on the condition of the animals.

The two individuals displayed at this time, were collected from the seabed between 200 and 250 meters below the surface, from the northern part of Okinawa in 2011 and 2019.
The Churashima perchlet closely resembles the Sagami perchlet and the spotted perchlet which are also displayed in this aquarium. In 2020, based on the specimens the Churaumi Aquarium collected and with the collaboration of Kagoshima University, the Churashima perchlet was recognized as a new species. In recent years, many new species in the genus Plectranthias have been discovered.

Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium hopes to continue to research Okinawa’s biodiversity and help reveal the ecology of deep-sea fish through captive observation and deep-sea field surveys.