Choat's Wrasse, Macropharyngodon choati Randall 1978

Other Names: Choat's Leopard-wrasse, Red-flecked Wrasse

Juvenile Choat's Wrasse, Macropharyngodon choati, at Fly Point Marine Reserve, Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, New South Wales - depth 8m. Source: Dave Harasti / www.daveharasti.com. License: All rights reserved

Summary:

A whitish leopard wrasse with irregular rows of orange blotches on the sides, and a black spot edged with yellow above and behind on the gill cover. Juveniles are whitish body with large irregular orange blotches, and the pelvic fins and anterior part of the dorsal fin are white in front and orange behind.

Cite this page as:

Dianne J. Bray, Macropharyngodon choati in Fishes of Australia, accessed 16 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2301

Choat's Wrasse, Macropharyngodon choati Randall 1978

More Info

Distribution	Known from eastern Australia, Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs in the Tasman Sea, and New Caledonia. Inhabits in sandy and rubble areas in reef channels and on sheltered seaward reefs, usually with good algal growth. Juveniles often occur in seagrass beds.
Etymology	Named for Dr Howard Choat.
Species Citation	Macropharyngodon choati Randall, 1978, Bull. Mar. Sci. 28(4): 761, fig. 5D. Type locality: One Tree Island, QLD.
Author	Dianne J. Bray

Choat's Wrasse, Macropharyngodon choati Randall 1978

References

Craig, M.T. 2010. Macropharyngodon choati. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. . Downloaded on 09 December 2014.

Grant, E.M. 1991. Fishes of Australia. Brisbane : EM Grant Pty Ltd 480 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 2002. Fairy & Rainbow Wrasses and their Relatives. Chorleywood, U.K. : TMC Publishing 207 pp.

Randall, J.E. 1978. A revision of the Indo-Pacific labrid fish genus Macropharyngodon, with descriptions of five new species. Bulletin of Marine Science 28(4): 742-770 figs 1-6

Randall, J.E. 2005. Reef and shore fishes of the South Pacific. New Caledonia to Tahiti and the Pitcairn Islands. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press 707 pp.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 507 pp. figs.

Westneat, M.W. 2001. Labridae. pp. 3381-3467 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 6 pp. 3381-4218.