Randall’s Filefish

The Randall’s Filefish, scientifically named Pervagor randalli, is a marine species that resides primarily in tropical waters, specifically in the shallow coral reefs of the 🌊 Western Indian Ocean, including regions like the 🌊 Red Sea and the 🌊 Gulf of Aden. This fish exhibits a striking appearance and distinctive coloration. It grows to a maximum length of approximately 6.7 centimeters (2.6 inches).

The body of the Randall’s Filefish is predominantly brown, with a notable oval dark spot located on its gill plate. The caudal fin is adorned with orange stripes, providing a contrasting splash of color. It possesses a single dorsal spine, accompanied by 29 to 31 soft dorsal rays. The anal fin lacks spines but includes 27 to 28 soft rays, and the fish has a total of 19 vertebrae.

The head bears a relatively large, black blotch that stretches from the middle of the gill slit to the rear edge of the eye. This blotch, alongside a dusky area around the eye, extends onto the forehead and toward the base of the spinous dorsal fin. The eyes have a dark brown iris, and the lips exhibit a pale dusky brown hue.

One of the fish's distinctive features is its large pelvic fin rudiment, which is narrowly attached to the rear margin of the ventral flap. The scales on the fish's midbody have 1 to 7 spinules, with longer, more noticeable spinules on the posterior half of the body. In males, these scale spinules are particularly prominent, developing pronounced ridges when the fish reaches a size of about 5.5 to 6.5 centimeters (2.2 to 2.6 inches) in standard length.

The genus name Pervagor, meaning nomadic or itinerant in Latin, reflects some aspect of this fish's character or distribution.