Indian triggerfish
Melichthys indicus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Indian triggerfish
- Scientific
- Melichthys indicus
- Dhivehi
- ހިންދުކަޅު ރޮނޑުHindhu kalhu rondu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 25 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 25 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 30 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2022
Description
A bluish-black triggerfish with white lines along the bases of the soft dorsal and anal fins and a white edge around its rounded tail. It lives singly on coral-rich outer reef slopes and digs shelter holes under coral heads. It feeds on sponges, algae, small invertebrates and zooplankton. It is found only in the Indian Ocean.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name hindhu kalhu rondu (MRS 1997). MRS notes it is easily confused with the black triggerfish, which has an all-dark, notched tail.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Melichthys-indicus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=7634&GenusName=Melichthys&SpeciesName
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ހިންދުކަޅު_ރޮނޑު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Pez_ballesta_índico_(Melichthys_indicus),_Zanzíbar,_Tanzani
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Hindhu kalhu rondu' (Latin form). FishBase (country: Maldives) agrees: 'Kalhu rondu'. Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ހިންދުކަޅު ރޮނޑު' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form. FLAG: the source states no traditional name was recorded and this descriptive name was coined for the book; it is not an established fishermen's name.