Radial firefish
Pteropterus radiatus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Radial firefish
- Scientific
- Pteropterus radiatus
- Dhivehi
- ހުޅު ފަންހާމަސްHulhu fanhaamas
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 24 cm (total length); commonly 20 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 30 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
A lionfish with dark reddish-brown bars separated by thin white lines, two white lines along the tail base, and long, white, almost bare pectoral rays like rays of light. It prefers rocky reefs and caves rather than live coral, hides under ledges by day and feeds only on small crabs and shrimps at night.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi Wikipedia (MRS-derived) gives hulhu fanhaamas; FishBase (Maldives) gives fanhaa mas.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Pteropterus-radiatus.html
- fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=4913&GenusName=Pteropterus&SpeciesNam
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ހުޅު_ފަންހާމަސް
- inaturalist.org /observations/38782914
Dhivehi name source: FishBase (country: Maldives) agrees: 'Fanhaa mas'. Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ހުޅު ފަންހާމަސް' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition). No published Latin-script form found; 'Hulhu fanhaamas' is Pax's transliteration of the Thaana (Malé Latin conventions). FishBase also lists 'Fang-hamas' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used. FLAG: Latin form is a transliteration, not a published spelling.