No photo available
Blue blanquillo
Malacanthus latovittatus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Blue blanquillo
- Scientific
- Malacanthus latovittatus
- Dhivehi
- No recorded Dhivehi name
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 45 cm (standard length); commonly 35 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 5 to 65 m (usually 20 to 65 m)
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2023
Description
A long, slender tilefish with a blue head, a pale blue-grey body and a broad black stripe along the rear half of the body and tail. It hovers above sand and rubble on outer slopes, usually at 20 to 65 m, picking off prey, and often swims away rather than hiding in its burrow. Pairs share a home range.
In the Maldives
Recorded from the Maldives on the FishBase country checklist (status: present). No Maldives-specific information was found in MRS (1997) or the other sources reviewed, and no Dhivehi name is recorded.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Malacanthus-latovittatus.html
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Malacanthus_latovittatus.jpg
Dhivehi name source: No Dhivehi name found in MRS 1997 (available chapters), FishBase (country: Maldives) or Dhivehi Wikipedia.