English Name: Wirenet filefish
Family: MONACANTHIDAE
Local Name: Dhaagandu fathirondu
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Size: Max. 21 cm
Specimen: MRS/0348/89
Distinctive Characters: Dorsal fin with 2 detached spines and32-36 rays. Anal finwith 29-32 rays. Pectoral fin with 12-14 rays. Snout short. Dorsal profile of head slightly concave. First dorsal spine not long. No spines posteriorly on body, but males with a dense patch of setae on side of caudal peduncle.
Colour: Varying from dark brown or mottled dark brown to light grey with numerous brownish orange spots. Faint narrow stripes on head. A small white spot just behind rear base of soft dorsal fin.
Habitat and Biology: Usually seen solitary in outer reef, seagrass and seaweed beds to depths of about 20 m. Feeds on benthic organisms.
Distribution: Indo-Pacific.
Remarks: Cantherhines paradilis is closely related to C. sandwichensis of Hawaii, and C. pu//us of the Atlantic. A wary fish, like others of the same genus.