Marine Life

Green jobfish

Giulhu

Aprion virescens

The Aprion virescens is a free-swimming, carnivorous fish that is difficult to approach underwater. It is a very common species in the Maldives, and is usually caught by handline or trolled lures. Its flesh is highly regarded for its excellent taste, and it often has a crustacean isopod parasite in its nostrils.

Details

§ 01

size: Common to 60 cm; max. 1 m
color: Body dark green to blue above, paler grey below. A series of dark blotches between posterior dorsal spines and anterior dorsal rays.
order: Perciformes
family: Lutjanidae
image url: https://assets.explore.mv/fishes/aprion-virescens.png
habitat and biology: This species inhabits inshore reef areas from a depth of 3 m to 150 m. It is usually found alone or in small groups, and its diet consists mainly of fish, as well as crustaceans and cephalopods.
distinctive characters: This fish has a dorsal fin with 10 spines and 11 rays, an anal fin with 3 spines and 8 rays, a pectoral fin with 16-18 rays, an elongate and fusiform body, a distinct groove in front of the eye, a maxillary that almost reaches below the front border of the eye, a preoperculum that is not serrated, a pectoral fin that is short and about equal to the snout length and is rounded, scaled cheeks, and a deeply forked caudal fin with pointed lobes.