Roving coralgrouper
Plectropomus pessuliferus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Roving coralgrouper
- Scientific
- Plectropomus pessuliferus
- Dhivehi
- ދޮންއޮޅު ފާނަDhonolhu faana
- Maximum size
- Up to about 1.2 m (total length)
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 25 to 147 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2016
Description
A coral grouper, reddish brown to orange covered with small blue spots, some of them elongated, reaching about 1.2 m. It lives on lagoon and seaward reefs and is uncommon. It is known for hunting cooperatively with moray eels, signalling to them with head shakes at crevices where prey is hiding.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name dhonolhu faana (MRS 1997).
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Plectropomus-pessuliferus.html
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ދޮންއޮޅު_ފާނަ
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Mero_(Plectropomus_pessuliferus),_parque_nacional_Ras_Muham
Dhivehi name source: Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ދޮންއޮޅު ފާނަ' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition). No published Latin-script form found; 'Dhonolhu faana' is Pax's transliteration of the Thaana (Malé Latin conventions). FLAG: Latin form is a transliteration, not a published spelling.