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Black and white snapper
Macolor niger
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Black and white snapper
- Scientific
- Macolor niger
- Dhivehi
- ފޮނިޔަ މަސްFoniya mas
- Family
- Lutjanidae (snappers)
- Maximum size
- Up to about 75 cm (total length); commonly 35 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 2 to 90 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
A deep-bodied snapper. Adults are dark grey to almost black with paler spots, and juveniles are boldly patterned in black and white. Adults form large schools along steep outer walls and channel slopes, while juveniles live alone. It feeds on fish and crustaceans and can reach about 75 cm.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name foniya mas (MRS 1997). Schools are often seen hanging in the current on Maldivian channel walls.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Macolor-niger.html
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=187&GenusName=Macolor&SpeciesName=nig
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ފޮނިޔަ_މަސް
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Pargo_blanco_y_negro_(Macolor_niger),_Nosy_Antanimora,_Mada
Dhivehi name source: FishBase common names (country: Maldives) give 'Foniya mas' (Latin script). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ފޮނިޔަ މަސް' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.