Pseudochromis LUTEUS
By doing a little reading this week, I came across a beautiful unknown pseudochromis! This is pseudochromis luteus , a small scale in high color !
There are many species of Pseudochromis , but only a very small of them are present in the trade . some are virtually unknown with little information and photos on them. One of these species is Pseudochromis luteus .
Pseudochromis luteus males are pink, orange and yellow throughout and without cause. Unlike other pseudochromis the generally dull appearance of the female, is not custom in this species the tail is incredibly bright in shades purple - pink, contrasting with the general color of gray - green body. This feature coupled with a gray body with a tail of a different color can be seen also in other species such as female P. and P. coccinicauda tapeinosoma .
Females of the latter two species are grayish throughout , the first having an orange - red tail and the last with a yellow tail . It is unfortunate that the very aggressive nature of pseudochromis probably not allow the mixture of these three species in the same tank . It would have been interesting to have females tapeinosoma P. , P. and P. luteus coccinicauda all together , giving a fun mix of yellow tails , orange and purple painted on gray background.
A couple of P. Luteus would certainly brighten any reef aquarium and believe me , breeders and enthusiasts of all kinds are keen to make a future breeding project . Males and females are very different, but both sexes are really beautiful and look great in a reef.
P. luteus is difficult to achieve , not because it is rare in the wild , but it is a species that has not been collected for the aquarium trade . Pseudochromis luteus is found primarily in Japan and at depths of 5 to 10m . It is also found in the Philippines but all images and information available for this species so far are based on individuals found in Japan. This does not mean that it is specifically endemic !
