Wattsiamossambica is a rather deep-dwelling species, so it is not encountered very often. It is occasionally caught in the Maldives with deep handlines, usually at depths greater than 70 meters outside the atolls.
Details
§ 01
size
Max. 55 cm
color
Overall silvery-grey suffused with yellow. Margins of scales narrowly brownish. Lips whitish to yellow. Fins yellow, faint brown spotting may be present on soft dorsal, anal, and caudal fins.
This species inhabits the outer edges of reefs and continental shelves, with depths ranging from 100 to 180 meters. It feeds on bottom-dwelling invertebrates and small fish.
distinctive characters
This fish has a dorsal fin with 10 long and strong spines and 10 rays, an anal fin with 3 strong spines and 10 rays, and a pectoral fin with 14 rays. Its body depth is 1.9-2.2 times its standard length, and it has a deep body. Its eye is moderate in size, its head profile is strongly convex, its maxilla has a longitudinal denticulate ridge, and it has a pair of close-set nasal openings. Its caudal fin is very slightly forked with broadly rounded lobes.