Violetline Maori Wrasse, Oxycheilinus digramma (Lacepède 1801)
Other Names: Cheeklined Maori, Cheeklined Maori Wrasse, Cheek-lined Maori-wrasse, Cheeklined Wrasse, Cheek-lined Wrasse, Violet-lined Maori Wrasse
A male Violetline Maori Wrasse, Oxycheilinus digramma, at Bunaken, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Source: BBM Explorer / Flickr / www.bbmexplorer.com. License: CC BY Attribution
Summary:
A highly variable wrasse with fine dark diagonal bands on the lower cheek and gill cover. Males are often greenish-grey above becoming pinkish red or whitish below, with a pale lips and dark vertical lone on each scale margin. Females are mottled with two broad reddish bands on the lower part of the body and a red blotch on the pelvic fin base. Juveniles have a broad orange to brownish mid-lateral stripe with two small dark spots on the rear of this stripe.
Male Violetline Maori Wrasse fighting at South West Pinnacle, Koh Tao, Thailand
Male Violetline Maori Wrasse fighting at South West Pinnacle, Koh Tao, Thailand
Cite this page as:
Dianne J. Bray, Oxycheilinus digramma in Fishes of Australia, accessed 21 Apr 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/263
Violetline Maori Wrasse, Oxycheilinus digramma (Lacepède 1801)
More Info
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Distribution |
Occurs on offshore reefs in Western Australia, and on the Great Barrier Reef Queensland. Elsewhere, widespread in the Indo-West Pacific. Inhabits rich coral areas on coastal and offshore reefs, often amongst soft corals and |
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Biology |
Protogynous hermaphrodites - changing sex from female to male during their life cycle. |
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Author |
Dianne J. Bray |
