Sky emperor

Description

The sky emperor (mahsena) is a robust emperor of the family Lethrinidae reaching about 65 cm. The deep, silvery-grey body has a pointed snout, thick lips and a red inner lining of the gill covers; the strong molar teeth are adapted to crushing shellfish and sea urchins. The species lives on coral reefs, seagrass beds and sand flats of the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea; it does not occur in European waters. It is long-lived (over 25 years) and a protogynous hermaphrodite, starting as a female and later becoming male. The mahsena is an important food and sport fish in the Indian Ocean, but through heavy fishing its populations have declined by more than 60% and it is assessed as Endangered (EN).