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Blackeye thicklip
Hemigymnus melapterus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Blackeye thicklip
- Scientific
- Hemigymnus melapterus
- Dhivehi
- Hikaa
- Group
- Reef fish
- Family
- Labridae (wrasses)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 40 cm (total length); max. published weight 1.3 kg
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 30 m (usually 5 to 30 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2008
Description
A large wrasse with thick lips; adults have a pale front and a dark rear separated by a white bar, with blue-green lines on the head. It reaches about 40 cm and sifts sand for small animals.
In the Maldives
FishBase (Maldives) gives only the general name hikaa.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Hemigymnus-melapterus.html
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=5636&GenusName=Hemigymnus&SpeciesName
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Hemigymnus_melapterus_Maldives.JPG
Dhivehi name source: FishBase common names (country: Maldives) give 'Hikaa' (Latin script). FLAG: single source. FLAG: generic name for the group, not species-specific.