Giganthias is a small genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the Anthiinae subfamily, which is part of the family Serranidae. the groupers and sea basses. It contains two species from Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia.
Giganthias was first established by Japanese ichthyologist Masao Katayama in 1954 based on two specimens of the type species Giganthias immaculatus recovered from the island of Izu Ōshima in Japan.[1] Katayama initially placed the species in a separate subfamily, Giganthiinae, but it is now accepted to be under the subfamily Anthiadinae of the family Serranidae.[2]
In 2012, a new species of Giganthias was described from Lombok, Indonesia, based on a specimen recovered from a fish market in the village of Tanjung Luar.[3] [4]
Giganthias are characterized by nine spines on the dorsal fin. The third dorsal spine and the pelvic spines have serrated tips. The lateral line is very highly arched and a supplementary maxillary is present.[2]
Giganthias contains two species:[2] [4]