Brokenline Wrasse, Stethojulis interrupta (Bleeker 1851)


Other Names: Broken-lined Wrasse, Cutribbon Wrasse, Cut-ribbon Wrasse, Spot-bellied Rainbow-fish

A male Brokenline Wrasse, Stethojulis interrupta, at the Solitary Islands, New South Wales. Source: Rick Stuart-Smith / Reef Life Survey. License: CC By Attribution

Summary:
Like many wrasses, the Brokenline Wrasse changes colour during its life. 

Identifying features:
Juveniles are pinkish-grey above, white below, with a broad black stripe running along the sides, and a thin blue line below the eye in larger juveniles.
Females are mostly pink with a white belly, a broad speckled blue and black stripe along the sides, a blue line below the eye and a yellow snout.
Males are greenish (paler below) with a bright blue stripe along the dorsal-fin base and another from the middle of the body to the tail base, blue lines around the eye and snout, and an orange blotch behind the gill cover.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Stethojulis interrupta in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/277

Brokenline Wrasse, Stethojulis interrupta (Bleeker 1851)

More Info


Distribution

Widespread in Australia from the Houtman Abrolhos, and offshore reefs of Western Australia, Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island, Timor Sea, to Montague Island, New South Wales; also Elizabeth & Middleton Reefs and Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical Indo-West Pacific from Africa, the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, to the Philippines and Solomon Islands.
Inhabits coral and rocky reefs, usually in areas of mixed sand, rock and coral.

Feeding

Feeds by sorting small invertebrates from mouthfuls of sand and detritus.

Fisheries

Collected for the aquarium trade.

Similar Species

Male (terminal phase) Brokenline Wrasse lack a lower stripe and a broken mid-lateral stripe. Male (terminal phase) Redspot Wrasse, Stethojulis bandanensis, have only the upper and lower blue stripes running the length of the body. The lower stripe of male Silverstreak Wrasse, S. strigiventer, only runs half-way along the body. Male Three-ribbon Wrasse, Stethojulis trilineata, have three stripes running the length of the body, and fourth stripe extending to above the pectoral fin. 

Species Citation

Julis (Halichoeres) interruptus Bleeker, 1851, Natuur. Tijdschr. Neder. Indiƫ 2: 252. Type locality: Banda Neira, Banda Island, Indonesia.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2018

Resources

Australian Faunal Directory

Brokenline Wrasse, Stethojulis interrupta (Bleeker 1851)

References


Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91 

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.

Bleeker, P. 1851. Bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van de Banda-eilanden. Natuurwetenschappelijk Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indiƫ 2: 225-261.

Cabanban, A. & Choat, J.H. 2010. Stethojulis interrupta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T187563A8569275. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187563A8569275.en. Downloaded on 12 April 2018.

Francis, M.P. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170.

Francis, M.P. & Randall, J.E. 1993. Further additions to the fish faunas of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 118-135 figs 1-22 pls 1-4

Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & P.J. Kailola. 1984. Trawled fishes of southern Indonesia and northwestern Australia. Australian Development Assistance Bureau, Australia, Directorate General of Fishes, Indonesia, and German Agency for Technical Cooperation, Federal Republic of Germany. 407 p.

Hutchins, J.B. 1990. Fish survey of South Passage, Shark Bay, Western Australia. pp. 263-278 in Berry, P.F., Bradshaw, S.D. & Wilson, B.R. (eds). Research in Shark Bay: Report of the France-Australe Bicentenary Expedition Committee. Perth : Western Australian Museum. 

Hutchins, J.B. 1997. Checklist of fishes of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia. pp. 239-253 in Wells, F. (ed.) The Marine Fauna and Flora of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands, Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum. 

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Biodiversity of shallow reef fish assemblages in Western Australia using a rapid censusing technique. Records of the Western Australian Museum 20: 247-270

Hutchins, J.B. 2003. Checklist of marine fishes of the Dampier Archipelago, Western Australia. pp. 453-478 in Wells, F.E., Walker, D.I., & Jones, D.S. (eds). Proceedings of the Eleventh International Marine Biological Workshop: The Marine Flora and Fauna of Dampier, Western Australia. Perth : Western Australian Museum. 

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. 

Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 43(2): 709-762 

Johnson, J.W. 2010. Fishes of the Moreton Bay Marine Park and adjacent continental shelf waters, Queensland, Australia. pp. 299-353 in Davie, P.J.F. & Phillips, J.A. Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Marine Biological Workshop, The Marine Fauna and Flora of Moreton Bay. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 54(3)

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

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. 

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

Kuiter, R.H. 2010. Labridae fishes: wrasses. Seaford, Victoria, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 398.

Kuiter, R.H. & Tonozuka. T. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidae - Callionymidae. Zoonetics, Australia.

Larson, H.K., Williams, R.S. & Hammer, M.P. 2013. An annotated checklist of the fishes of the Northern Territory, Australia. Zootaxa 3696(1): 1-293 

Marshall, T.C. 1964. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coastal Waters of Queensland. Sydney : Angus & Robertson 566 pp. 136 pls. 

Moore, G. & Morrison, S. 2009. Fishes of three North West Shelf atolls off Western Australia: Mermaid (Rowley Shoals), Scott and Seringapatam Reefs. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 77: 221-255 

Moore, G.I., Morrison, S.M., Hutchins, B.J., Allen, G.R. & Sampey, A. 2014. Kimberley marine biota. Historical data: fishes. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 84: 161-206

Randall, J.E. 2000. Revision of the Indo-Pacific labrid fishes of the genus Stethojulis, with descriptions of two new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes 31: 1-42 figs 1-9.

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. 

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & Steene, R. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 557 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.

Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37384155

Biology:Hermaphrodite

Danger:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:3-18 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:12 cm TL

Species Image Gallery

Species Maps

CAAB distribution map