Weedy Surge Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres margaritaceus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: TP - Shades of green with mauve scale spots forming a series of blotches along sides; pink diagonal band on cheek.
Favourite: Form groups.
Hide-out: Reef flats, shallow tops of patch reefs in areas exposed to surge to 3m.
Location: East Indo-Pacific - Cocos-Keeling Is. to Micronesia, Line Is. and Pitcaim Is. S. Japan to N.W. & S.E. Australia.

Twotone Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres prosopeion
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: TP - Purplish head and forebody gradating to yellow rear body; black spot on front of dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas of lagoons, patch reefs and puter slopes in 2-40m.
Location: West Pacific - Indonesia and Palau to Samoa. S.W. Japan to S.E. Australia.

Twospot Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres biocellatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: TP - Alternating red and green stripes on head fade onto forebody, darkish toward rear with 4 wide dusky bars.
Favourite: Form small groups.
Hide-out: Seaward reefs in 6-35m.
Location: West Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines and Micronesia to Fiji. Taiwan to N.W. Australia and S. Great Barrier Reef.

Threespot Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres trimaculatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 27cm
Identification: TP - Pale yellowish green with lavender vertical streak on most scales; lavender bands on head, black spot on upper tail base and dusty to black spot on forebody.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Sand and rubble with isolated coral heads to 18m.
Location: East Indo-Pacific - Christmas I. to Micronesia, Line Is. and French Polynesia. S. Japan to Australia and Lord Howe I.

Seagrass Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres papilionaceus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: TP - Shades of green with variable mauve bar or blotch markings on back; pink bands on head, black tail margin.
Favourite: Form aggregations.
Hide-out: Seagrass beds and weedy areas to 4m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia, Malaysian Peninsula, Philippines, Palau and Papua New Guinea.

Redhead Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres rubricephalus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: TP - Bright red head, bluish black body.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Coastal patch reefs in 15-35m.
Location: Localized - Known only from Maumere area of Flores I. in Indonesia.

Pastel-Green Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres chloropterus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 19cm
Identification: TP - Pastel green with lavender scale spots; lavender markings on head, may display small yellow patch behind eye.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Protected, silty reefs of lagoons, sheltered coast and adjacent sand and rubble bottoms to 10m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Sumatra in Indonesia, Micronesia to Solomon Is. Philippines to Great Barrier Reef.

Ornate Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres ornatissimus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 15cm
Identification: TP/IP - Greenish with lattice of inter-linked rose stripes and bars; irregular rose and green bands on head; small dark spot behind eye.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Lagoon and seaward reefs in 10-40m.
Location: Pacific - Indonesia, Palau and Mariana Is. in Micronesia, Hawaii and French Polynesia. S. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.

Nebulous Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres nebulosus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: TP - Shades of green; variable mauve markings including large blotch on mid-body, ocellated spot on mid-dorsal fin, boomerang-shaped pink marking below eye.
Favourite: Form groups.
Hide-out: Shallow weedy areas near reefs to 40m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Papua New Guinea. S. Japan to Australia.

Indian Pinstriped Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres vrolikii
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: TP - Light green with darker green stripes of linked spots; 3-4 narrow greenish white bars on back, green and pink bands on head, yellow pectoral fin base.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coral reefs in 2-20m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Maldives and Andaman Sea to Moluccan Is. in E. Indonesia.

Green-Headed Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres chlorocephalus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 9cm
Identification: IP - Purple with narrow orange stripes. TP - Dark purple with orange stripes on lime-green head.
Favourite: Form small groups.
Hide-out: Silty lagoon and coastal reefs in 15-30m.
Location: Localized - Togean Is. in Tomini Bay, E. Sulawesi, Indonesia. Also Palawan in Philippines and Papua New Guinea.

Greenback Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres nigrescens
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 14cm
Identification: TP - Dark green upper body, pale below; 4-6 narrow pale bars, purple or reddish bands on head, stripes on upper forebody, bars on tail.
Favourite: Usually form groups.
Hide-out: Silty or weedy reefs near shore to 10m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - E. Africa to Australia, north to S. Japan.

Goldstripe Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres zeylonicus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 15cm
Identification: TP - Green; broad stripe of mauve gradating to orange, bright yellow marking around base of pectoral fin.
Favourite: Form small groups.
Hide-out: Sand and rubble bottoms near reefs in 10-40m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - Red Sea and Arabian Gulf to Samoa. S. Japan to Australia.

Dusky Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres marginatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 17cm
Identification: TP - Green to brownish, tail green with ornate central bar; narrow blue bands on head, stripes of joined dark blue spots on body.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas of lagoons and outer reefs to 30m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Micronesia, Line Is. and Tuamotu Is. in French Polynesia. S. Japan to S.E. Australia.

Cosmetic Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres cosmetus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: TP - Pale greenish with 6-7 bright orange stripes.
Favourite: Solitary or form small loose groups.
Hide-out: Lagoons and outer slopes in mixed coral and rubble areas to 30m.
Location: Indian Ocean - E. Africa to Andaman Sea and N.W. Sumatra in Indonesia.

Circle-Cheek Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres miniatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: Varigated pattern, has circular pink marking on cheek.
Favourite: Occurs in groups.
Hide-out: Sheltered rubble and coral reefs in 1-10m.
Location: West Pacific - Indonesia to Solomon Islands and northern Great Barrier Reef, northward to southern Japan.

Checkerboard Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres hortulanus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 27cm
Identification: TP - Green with blue bar on each scale; mauve or orange bands on head, pale green area behind head, yellow spot below front of dorsal fin.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Sand patches of lagoons and seaward reefs to 35m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Micronesia, Line Is. and French Polynesia. S. Japan to S.E. Australia.

Canarytop Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres leucoxanthus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 11cm
Identification: TP - Bright golden-yellow upper body, white below. IP - Similar, but with 3 black spots on dorsal fin.
Favourite: Form small groups.
Hide-out: Sand and rubble fringes of coral reefs in 20-40m.
Location: Indian Ocean - Maldives and Andaman Sea to Bali.

Canary Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres chrysus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: IP - Bright golden yellow; 2-3 black spots on dorsal fin. TP - Similar, but with only one black spot on front of dorsal fin and faint orange bands on head, breast and median fins.
Favourite: Form small groups.
Hide-out: Sand and rubble edges of reefs to 60m.
Location: East Indo-Asian Pacific - Christmas I. to Indonesia and Micronesia. S. Japan to N.W. & E. Australia.

Black-Eared Wrasse

Scientific Name: Halichoeres melasmapomus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 14cm
Identification: TP - Lavender body and red tail, green head with blue-edged orange bands; large blue-edged black spot behind eye, smaller spot on upper tail base.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups.
Hide-out: Steep outer reefs slopes in 10-56m.
Location: East Indo-Pacific - Cocos-Keeling to N.W. Australia, Philippines, S. Japan, Micronesia and French Polynesia.