A large slender blue-green snapper that hunts in open water over Maldivian reef rather than resting under it.
To about 110 cm. Elongate, robust and near-cylindrical, which is a very different outline from the deep-bodied reef snappers and is the first thing to notice. Dark green, bluish or grey-blue, usually with several dark blotches at the base of the dorsal fin, and a deeply forked tail. There is a horizontal groove on the snout below the nostrils, which is the structural character.
Against the rusty jobfish, this fish has short pectoral fins, less than half the head length. Against the Pristipomoides snappers, they lack the snout groove and have pectorals about as long as the head.
Nought to a hundred and eighty metres, cruising open water over deep lagoons and along seaward reefs. It is a roving predator, usually alone, and it passes a diver rather than holding station, which is how it is normally seen. It eats fish mainly, plus shrimps, crabs, cephalopods and planktonic prey. It matures at about 45 cm and lives up to thirty-two years.
Ciguatera is reported, and large individuals in particular may carry ciguatoxins.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.