Maldives Marine Life

Marine life of Maldivian waters

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Gilbert's halosaurid fish
No photo available
Photo: H. L. Todd / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain (view on Wikimedia Commons)Historical illustration. Source: Goode G. B., Bean T. H. Oceanic Ichthyology: a treatise on the deep-sea and pelagic fishes of the world, based chiefly upon the collections made by the steamers; Commons file: Aldrovandia affinis.jpg

Gilbert's halosaurid fish

Aldrovandia affinis

Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).

English
Gilbert's halosaurid fish
Scientific
Aldrovandia affinis
Dhivehi
No recorded Dhivehi name
Group
Deep-water fish
Family
Halosauridae (halosaurs)
Maximum size
Up to about 60 cm (total length)
Depth and habitat
Near the bottom and in the water column above it, recorded from 730 to 2560 m
IUCN status
LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2011

Description

An eel-shaped deep-sea fish with a pointed snout, white to grey-brown body and darker underside, reaching about 60 cm. It hovers just above the bottom on deep slopes, roughly 700 to 2,500 m, picking up worms and small crustaceans.

Sources

Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.