Rusty jobfish
Aphareus rutilans
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Rusty jobfish
- Scientific
- Aphareus rutilans
- Dhivehi
- ފަށުވި ރަންކަރުމަސްFashuvi rankarumas
- Family
- Lutjanidae (snappers)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 1.1 m (total length); commonly 79 cm; max. published weight 11.3 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 100 to 330 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
A large, elongate snapper with a protruding lower jaw, a deeply forked tail and a rusty red to lavender body. It lives over deep rocky bottoms and reef slopes, mostly between 100 and 330 m, and feeds on fish, squid and crustaceans. It has very small teeth for a snapper, which is unusual for such an active predator.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name fashuvi rankarumas (MRS 1997). Caught on deep handlines over outer reef slopes.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Aphareus-rutilans.html
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ފަށުވި_ރަންކަރުމަސް
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Aphareus_rutilans.png
Dhivehi name source: Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ފަށުވި ރަންކަރުމަސް' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition). No published Latin-script form found; 'Fashuvi rankarumas' is Pax's transliteration of the Thaana (Malé Latin conventions). FLAG: Latin form is a transliteration, not a published spelling.