Bicolor Cleaner Wrasse

Scientific Name: Labroides bicolor
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 14cm
Identification: Slender; blue lips gradating to black forebody, pale yellow to white rear body and tail; blue crescent on tail.
Favourite: Solitary or in pairs; cleaner, swim with jerky motion to attract clients.
Hide-out: Coral reefs in 2-25m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E.Africa to Micronesia, Line Is. and French Polynesia. S.Japan to east Australia and L.Howe I.

Wedge-Tailed Wrasse

Scientific Name: Labropsis xanthonota
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 14cm
Identification: TP - Bluish gray to brown with yellow spot on each scale; blue markings on head, yellow edge on gill cover, white triangular marking centered on tail.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas of clear lagoons to seaward reefs in 7-55m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa to Samoa. S.W. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.

Southern Tubelip

Scientific Name: Labropsis australis
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 10.5cm
Identification: Dark gray head and tail. golden-brown to orange body; pale fleshy lips, black spot on pectoral fin base.
Favourite: Solitary or occasionally in pairs.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas of lagoons, outer reefs and passes in 2-55m.
Location: West Pacific - Great Barrier Reef and Solomon Is. to Fiji and Samoa.

Northern Tubelip

Scientific Name: Labropsis manabei
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: TP - Dark gray head, brown body, blue lips; large yellow patch at base of blue tail. black spot on pectoral fin base.
Hide-out: Coral-rich areas in 15-30m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Hibernia Reef in Timor Sea, E. Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, north to S.W. Japan.

Micronesian Tubelip

Scientific Name: Labropsis micromesica
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 13cm
Identification: TP - Orange-brown with dark scale margins, gray to blue-gray head with white lips, black tail with white margin.
Favourite: Solitary; occasionally act as cleaners.
Hide-out: Clear lagoon or seaward reefs in 7-33m.
Location: Palau and Marshall Is. in Micronesia.

Allen's Tubelip

Scientific Name: Labropsis alleni
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: TP - Slender; brown head, yellow green mid-body, white rear and tail; large ocellated spot at pectoral base, small black spot on front of dorsal fin and rear belly.
Favourite: Solitary or in pairs.
Hide-out: Steep slopes of lagoon and seaward reefs in 4-52m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia and Philippines to Solomon Is. and Marshall Is. in Micronesia.

Yellowtail Tubelip

Scientific Name: Diproctacanthus xanthurus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 8cm
Identification: TP/IP - White with yellow tail; dark brown stripe on back. black stripe from snout through eye to tail.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Sheltered reefs in 3-25m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New Guinea to Great Barrier Reef.

Tubelip Wrasse

Scientific Name: Labrichthys unilineatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 16cm
Identification: TP - Dark olive with numerous thin blue stripes; broad yellowish bar behind head. IP - Similar, but have yellow lips and lack yellowish bar.
Favourite: Solitary or form small groups; feed on coral polyps.
Hide-out: Sheltered reefs with rich coral growth to 20m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa to Samoa. S.W. Japan to Australia.

Chiseltooth Razorfish

Scientific Name: Pseudodax mollucanus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: TP - Blue-green undercolor with dark spots on scales, orange-red to rust wash on forebody and back, yellow upper lip; pale yellow bar on tail base.
Favourite: Solitary.
Hide-out: Seaward reefs, including steep outer slopes in 3-40m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to French Polynesia. S. Japan to Australia.

Whitepatch Razorfish

Scientific Name: Iniistius aneitensis
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 24cm
Identification: TP - Steep blunt snout; pale grey; large white patch on lower forebody, may display 3-4 dusky bars.
Favourite: Dive into sand when alarmed and to sleep at night.
Hide-out: Open sand areas near reefs in 12-92m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - Chagos Is. to Hawaii. S.W. Japan and Micronesia to Australia.

Peacock Razorfish

Scientific Name: Iniistius pavo
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 35cm
Identification: TP - Steep blunt head; light gray; whitish patch on lower forebody with one or two black spots above, may display dusky bars.
Favourite: Solitary; dive into sand when alarmed and to sleep at night.
Hide-out: Open sand areas near reefs in 20-100m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Hawaii, French Polynesia and Central America. S. Japan to Australia.

Fivefinger Razorfish

Scientific Name: Iniistius pentadactylus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: TP - Greenish gray; 4-5 overlapping red spots (appear dark underwater) above pectoral fin, often whitish area followed by a dark blotch on forebody; steep blunt head.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Sand to mud slopes to 30m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Red Sea and E. Africa to Australia and Papua New Guinea, north to S. Japan.

Celebes Razorfish

Scientific Name: Iniistius celebicus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: TP - Pale gray back and white below; large black patch on mid-forebody, horizontally elongate black streak on tail base.
Favourite: Solitary or form loose groups.
Hide-out: Open over sand areas near reefs in 5-20m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia and Philippines to Taiwan and Marshall Is. in Micronesia.

Blackbarred Razorfish

Scientific Name: Iniistius tetrazona
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 25cm
Identification: IP - White with 4-5 dark bars or blotches, 1st 2 dorsal rays form small separated pennant.
Favourite: Solitary or form groups.
Hide-out: Coastal sand slopes to 20m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia to Philippines.

Knife Razorfish

Scientific Name: Cymolutes praetextatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 20cm
Identification: Blunt snout; white, often with green to brown tint; faint irregular brown bars with white line running down back, may display broad yellow stripe.
Favourite: Solitary; dive into sand when alarmed and to sleep at night.
Hide-out: Extensive sand or weedy areas near reefs or lagoons in 2-10m.
Location: Indo-Pacific - E. Africa to French Polynesia.

Collared Razorfish

Scientific Name: Cymolutes torquatus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: TP - Blunt snout; pale green to brown with numerous thin body bars; slanting dark bars just above pectoral fin 'collar'.
Favourite: Solitary; dive into sand when alarmed and to sleep at night.
Hide-out: Extensive sand bottoms near reefs or lagoons in 2-15m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - E. Africa to Papua New Guinea. S. Japan to Australia.

Flagfin Wrasse

Scientific Name: Pteragogus flagellifer
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 20cm
Identification: TP/IP - Shades of green to yellow-orange with grayish scale spots; yellow-green lips and purplish markings on cheek; deep body. TP - First two dorsal spines with long filaments.
Favourite: Solitary and cryptic.
Hide-out: Among branches of soft coral or weedy areas in 2-30m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - E. Africa to Papua New Guinea. S. Japan to Great Barrier Reef.

Cockerel Wrasse

Scientific Name: Pteragogus enneacanthus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: TP/IP - Mottled shades of red-brown; dark spots on lateral line (may join to form thin stripe); ocellated brown spot on gill cover. TP - Filaments on first two dorsal rays.
Favourite: Solitary and cryptic.
Hide-out: Among stony and soft corals and weeds in 3-25m.
Location: Asian Pacific - Indonesia to Australia and Coral Sea, north to Mariana Is. in Micronesia.

Smalltail Wrasse

Scientific Name: Pseudojuloides cerasinus
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 12cm
Identification: TP - Green upper body, blue below; bicolor blue and yellow mid-body stripe, wide black tail margin.
Favourite: Form small groups.
Hide-out: Rubble, weed and coral areas of lagoon and seaward reefs to 61m, usually over 20m.
Location: Indo-West Pacific - E. Africa to Samoa and Hawaii. S. Japan to Australia.

Royal Wrasse

Scientific Name: Pseudojuloides sevemsi
Family: Wrasses - Labridae
Maximum Size: 10cm
Identification: TP - Large dark patch from eyes to mid-body, blue, green and yellow behind; violet snout joins violet stripe below eye to beyond pectoral base, blue margins on tail.
Hide-out: Sand and rubble bottoms in 20-40m.
Location: Indo-Asian Pacific - Sri Lanka to Indonesia and Philippines, north to S.W. Japan.