Maldives Marine Life

Marine life of Maldivian waters

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Bluntsnout gregory
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Photo: Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (view on Wikimedia Commons)

Bluntsnout gregory

Stegastes punctatus

Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).

English
Bluntsnout gregory
Scientific
Stegastes punctatus
Dhivehi
Dhanbaa
Group
Reef fish
Family
Pomacentridae (damselfishes and anemonefishes)
Maximum size
Up to about 13 cm (standard length)
Depth and habitat
Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 1 to 5 m
IUCN status
LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2023

Description

A dark, territorial damselfish reaching about 13 cm that farms filamentous algae on dead staghorn coral and boldly charges intruders, even divers.

In the Maldives

FishBase (Maldives) gives dhanbaa.

Sources

  • fishbase.se /summary/Stegastes-punctatus.html
  • fishbase.se /comnames/CommonNamesList.php?ID=4351&GenusName=Stegastes&SpeciesName=
  • commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Bluntsnout_gregory_Stegastes_punctatus_(5834350791).jpg

Dhivehi name source: FishBase common names (country: Maldives) give 'Dhanbaa' (Latin script). FishBase also lists 'Kudikiruliya' under India (Minicoy/Lakshadweep Mahl dialect); not used. FLAG: single source.