Myripristis murdjan is a common species in the Maldives that can be distinguished from M. berndti by its spiny dorsal colouration and from M. vittata by its scale size.
Details
§ 01
size
Common to 18 cm; max. 27 cm
color
Head, body and fins reddish. Leading edges of soft dorsal, anal, caudal and pelvic fins white. Outer part of spiny dorsal bright red.
Coral reef species can be found in depths ranging from 1-50 m. During the day, they hide in caves and crevices, but they can sometimes be seen in large groups swimming away from the protective reefs.
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, and the pectoral fin has 14-16 rays. The body is oblong and has a depth of 2.3-2.5 inches in standard length, with the lower jaw of adults only slightly protruding when the mouth is closed. Additionally, there are numerous small scales on the inner pectoral axil, and the third and fourth anal spines are sub-equal. The lateral line scales range from 27-32.