Scarlet soldierfish
Myripristis pralinia
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Scarlet soldierfish
- Scientific
- Myripristis pralinia
- Dhivehi
- އަލި ދަންބޮޑުAli dhanbodu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 20 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 20 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 8 to 50 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2009
Description
A scarlet soldierfish with a black upper gill-cover membrane, a black blotch at the pectoral base and no black on the median fins, reaching about 20 cm. It lives in small, loose groups in caves and under ledges and feeds on zooplankton at night.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name ali dhanbodu (MRS 1997).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Myripristis-pralinia.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/އަލި_ދަންބޮޑު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Myripristis_pralinia.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Ali dhanbodu' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'އަލި ދަންބޮޑު' (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.