Marine Life

Blotcheye soldierfish

Kothari reendhoo dhanbodu

Myripristis berndti

Myripristis berndti is most likely to be confused with M. murdjan, however, they can be distinguished by the colouration of their spiny dorsal fins; M. berndti has an orange-red spiny dorsal, similar to M. kuntee, and lateral line scale counts can also be used to differentiate between the two species. Additionally, the strongly projecting lower jaw is a particularly helpful character for identification.

Details

§ 01

size: Common to 22 cm; max. 30 cm
color: Silvery pink; a broad zone of orange-yellow on outer part of spiny dorsal fin. Leading edges of soft dorsal, caudal and pelvic fins white. Centres of scales silvery pink to pale yellowish; edges red.
order: Beryciformes
family: Holocentridae
image url: https://assets.explore.mv/fishes/myripristis-berndti.png
habitat and biology: This species prefers to inhabit shallow waters, usually between 3 and 15 meters deep, near coral reefs or rocky bottoms that may be subject to strong currents. During the day, it hides in caves.
distinctive characters: The dorsal fin has 10 spines followed by one spine and 13-15 rays, the anal fin has 4 spines and 11-13 rays, the pectoral fin has 15 rays, and the pelvic fin has one spine and seven rays. The body is oblong and has a depth of 2.3-2.6 inches in standard length. The lower jaw of adults is prominently projecting when the mouth is closed, and there is a single pair of tooth patches at the front of the lower jaw. There are 28-31 lateral line scales.