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Peacock hind (bluespotted grouper)
Cephalopholis argus
Valid name.
- English
- Peacock hind (bluespotted grouper)
- Scientific
- Cephalopholis argus
- Dhivehi
- މަސް ފާނަMas faana
- Maximum size
- About 60 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Shallow coral reefs and lagoons, 0 to about 40 m (usually 1 to 15 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2017
Description
A dark brown to blackish grouper densely covered in small blue spots ringed with black, often with pale vertical bars on the rear body. It lives in small harem groups of one male and several females. It ambushes small fish from cover, and sometimes follows moray eels or octopuses to catch prey they flush out. It is active mainly at dawn and dusk.
In the Maldives
One of the most common groupers on Maldivian reefs; part of the reef-fish catch and covered by the 2020 Grouper Fishery Management Plan.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Cephalopholis-argus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=6396&GenusName=Cephalopholis&SpeciesN
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/މަސް_ފާނަ
- leap.unep.org /en/countries/mv/national-legislation/maldives-grouper-fishery-managem
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Cephalopholis_argus_324500029.jpg
Dhivehi name source: FishBase common names (country: Maldives) (Latin); Thaana from Dhivehi Wikipedia (fish articles derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition).