Snubnose pompano :

EnglishName: Snubnose pompano
Local Name : Rindha vaali
Size : Max. 80 cm
Family: Order : Specimen
Distinctive Characters: First dorsal fin with 6 spines, second dorsal fin with 1 spine and 18-20 rays. Anal fin with 2 detached spines followed by 1 spine and 16-18 rays. Body oval shape and compressed. Tongue toothless. Predorsal bone oval-shaped. Profile of snout broadly rounded. No scutes.
Colour: Silver, but often washed with golden-orange, especially in larger individuals. Anal fin dusky orange, and lobe with a brownish anterior margin.
Habitat and Biology: Inhabits coral and rocky reef areas and shallow coastal waters at depths of 2-20 m. Feeds mainly on molluscs and hermit crabs, which it crushes with its strong pharyngeal plates.
Distribution: Widely distributed in Indo-West Pacific.
Remarks: Trachinotus blochii is not very common, but it is occasionally caught by hand line, and is sometimes seen by divers, in small groups along the outer reefs. The Dhivehi word ‘rindha’ means mussel, and refers to the oval shaped bone to be found just under the skin at the nape of ‘neck’.

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