Slender fusilier :

EnglishName: Slender fusilier
Local Name : Dhandi muguraan
Size : Common to 10 cm; max. 18 cm
Family: Order : Specimen
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 10 spines and 15 rays and the fin not deeply notched. Anal fin with 3 spines and 12 rays. Dorsal and anal fins scaleless. Pectoral fin with 21 or 22 rays. Two postmaxillary process. Premaxilla without teeth. Body depth 5.0-6.0 in standard length. Body very slender, fusiform, elongated and moderately compressed.
Colour: Bluish green above and silvery white below. A single yellow or brown stripe about one scale width covering the lateral line for most of its length. Caudal fin dusky, tips of the lobes black.
Habitat and Biology: Inhabits coastal areas ranging widely around coral reef. A schooling fish, often in groups with members of the genus Pterocaesio. Feeds on zooplankton in large midwater aggregations.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific.
Remarks: Gymnocaesio gymnoptera is used as a live bait in the Maldivian pole and line tuna fishery. There is some debate as to whether the fusiliers should be treated as a distinctive family or a sub family (Caesioninae) of the snappers (Lutjanidae).

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