English Name: Striped eel-catfish
Family: PLOTOSIDAE
Local Name: E-ahttehi
Order: Siluriformes
Size: Max. 32 cm
Specimen: MRS/0061/86
Distinctive Characters: First dorsal fin with 1 spine and 4 rays. Total second dorsal-caudal-anal with 139-200 rays. Pectoral fin with 1 spine and 9-13 rays. Pelvic fin with 10-13 rays. Elongated eel like fish. 4 pairs of barbels on head. First dorsal fin short with strongly ossified first spine. Anal, caudal and second dorsal fin becoming one continuous fin. Total gill rakers 22-32.
Colour: Brown dorsally, white ventrally. Three white stripes on body. Two extended from snout to caudal peduncle. One from belly to caudal peduncle.
Habitat and Biology: Found on reefs, along open coasts, in estuaries and tidal pools. Juveniles form dense aggregations. Feeds on small crustaceans, molluscs and fishes.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific.
Remarks: The sharp dorsal and pectoral spines of Plotosus /ineatus are extremely venomous. P. angularis (Bloch) is a synonym. Not common in Maldives, but most often seen in lagoons.