Redspotted sandperch
Parapercis schauinslandii
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Redspotted sandperch
- Scientific
- Parapercis schauinslandii
- Dhivehi
- ރަތްތިކި އަލަތަނޑުRaiy thiki alathandu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 18 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 14 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 9 to 170 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2022
Description
A small, white sandperch with two rows of squarish red spots along the body, a red and black spiny dorsal fin and a lyre-shaped tail in adults. It lives over sand and rubble on deep slopes and often rises above the bottom to feed on zooplankton.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name raiy thiki alathandu (MRS 1997). MRS notes it lives fairly deep, usually below 20 m.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Parapercis-schauinslandii.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ރަތްތިކި_އަލަތަނޑު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:HawaiiTG.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Raiy thiki alathandu' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ރަތްތިކި އަލަތަނޑު' (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.