- English Name : Red cornet fish
- Local Name : Raiy onugandu tholhi
- Size : Common to 1 m; max. 2 m
- Family : Order : Specimen :
- FISTULARIDAE Gasterosteiformes MRS/0308/88
- Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 14-17 rays. Anal fin with 14-15 rays. Pectoral fin with 15-17 rays. Body elongate with mouth at end of long tubular snout. Row of bony plates along top of body in front of dorsal fin. Small spines along posterior part of lateral line. Forward pointing spines on snout ridges. Upper ridges parallel.
- Colour: Red to orange brown above, silvery below. Vertical fins also have an orange cast.
- Habitat and Biology: Found in coastal areas, over soft bottoms usually at depths greater than 30 m. Feeds
on small fishes and shrimps. - Distribution: Indo-West Pacific and tropical Atlantic.
- Remarks: The specimen of Fistularia petimba on which this report is based was found in the stomach of a yellowfin tuna caught by R. V “Matha Hari�? about 30 nautical miles east of Lhaviyani Atoll. Although partially digested it could be identified by its red colour and the pattern of spines on its snout.