Golden trevally
Gnathanodon speciosus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Golden trevally
- Scientific
- Gnathanodon speciosus
- Dhivehi
- ލިބާސް ހަނދިLibaas handhi
- Group
- Jacks and trevallies
- Maximum size
- Up to about 1.2 m (total length); commonly 75 cm; max. published weight 15 kg (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 1.1 m
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 80 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
A deep-bodied trevally with fleshy, toothless lips. Young fish are bright gold with alternating broad and narrow black bars, while large adults turn silvery with a few black blotches. Juveniles swim ahead of sharks, groupers and other large fish, and sometimes divers, in a piloting behaviour. Adults root in sand for crustaceans and molluscs on deep lagoons and seaward reefs.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name libaas handhi (MRS 1997). MRS notes that juveniles accompany sharks and other large fish, and that adults are occasionally caught on handlines near reefs.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Gnathanodon-speciosus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ލިބާސް_ހަނދި
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Golden_trevally_Barcelona_Aquarium.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Libaas handhi' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ލިބާސް ހަނދި' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.