Rhinoceros leatherjacket
Pseudalutarius nasicornis
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Rhinoceros leatherjacket
- Scientific
- Pseudalutarius nasicornis
- Dhivehi
- ހިމަފަތި ރޮނޑުHima fathirondu
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 19 cm (total length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives common to 12 cm; max. 18 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 55 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
A slender filefish, pale brown to grey with two brown stripes, yellow spots in adults and a long dorsal spine set well forward over the eye like a horn. It lives on weedy and sandy slopes, often near sea whips, singly or in pairs.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name hima fathirondu (MRS 1997). MRS notes it appears rare in the Maldives, then known only from depths greater than 40 m inside North Malé Atoll, though this may reflect its camouflage and deep habits.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Pseudalutarius-nasicornis.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ހިމަފަތި_ރޮނޑު
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Rhino_filefish_(Pseudalutarius_nasicornis)_(44585863224).jp
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Hima fathirondu' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ހިމަފަތި 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.