Ornamental Wrasse, Halichoeres claudia Randall & Rocha 2009
Other Names: Claudia's Wrasse, Ornamented Wrasse, Ornate Wrasse
An Ornamental Wrasse, Halichoeres claudia, at Raine Island, northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, October 2005. Source: Erik Schlogl / iNaturalist.org. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial
Summary:
Males (terminal phase) of this greenish wrasse have a lattice-like pattern of pinkish to orange stripes and bars on sides, pinkish to orange bands on head, a black ocellus on the middle of the dorsal fin, and a small dark spot behind the eye.
Females (intermediate phase) have orange stripes along the sides and a small second dark ocellus on the rear of the dorsal fin.
Females (intermediate phase) have orange stripes along the sides and a small second dark ocellus on the rear of the dorsal fin.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2025, Halichoeres claudia in Fishes of Australia, accessed 30 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/2294
Ornamental Wrasse, Halichoeres claudia Randall & Rocha 2009
More Info
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Distribution |
Offshore reefs of north Western Australia, Cartier Reef in the Timor Sea, and the northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea, with vagrants to South West Rocks, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. Elsewhere, the species occurs in the Indo-west-central Pacific from Indonesia, east to the Line Islands and the Tuamotus, French Polynesia, north to the Philippines, Taiwan and southern Japan, south to New Caledonia. Inhabits lagoons and outer reef slopes at depths to 35 m. |
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Features |
Dorsal fin IX,12; Anal fin III,12; Pectoral fin 13; Gill rakers 16-20; Lateral-line scales 28 (including 1 on base of caudal fin); Median predorsal scales 9; Near-vertical rows of scales on chest 9. Body depth 3.15-3.55 in SL; scales absent from cheek and opercle. |
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Feeding |
Feeds mostly on small benthic crustaceans and molluscs. |
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Biology |
A protogynous hermaphrodite, with individuals able to change sex from female to male during their life cycle. |
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Remarks |
In Australia, this species was previously referred to as Halichoeres ornatissimus, which is endemic to the Hawaiian and Johnston islands (Randall & Rocha 2009, see also Kuiter 2010). |
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Similar Species |
Differs from other species of Halichoeres in having a green throat with a short pinkish to red stripe, the black ocellus retained on the middle of the dorsal fin in males, irregular stripes on the body and often small green "saddles" along the back. |
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Etymology |
The species is named in honour of the second author’s wife, also a marine biologist, for her continued support and help with lab work. |
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Species Citation |
Halichoeres claudia Randall & Rocha, 2009, Zoological Studies 48(5): 713, Figs. 8-1. Type locality: Outside barrier reef 200 metres west of Tareu Pass, Moorea, Society Islands, depth 21 m. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2025 |
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Resources |
Ornamental Wrasse, Halichoeres claudia Randall & Rocha 2009
References
Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91 (as Halichoeres ornatissimus)
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls. (as Halichoeres ornatissimus)
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21. (as Halichoeres ornatissimus)
Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp. (as Halichoeres ornatissimus)
Barber, P.H. & Bellwood, D.R. 2005. Biodiversity hotspots: evolutionary origins of biodiversity in wrasses (Halichoeres: Labridae) in the Indo-Pacific and new world tropics. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35: 235-253 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2004.10.004
Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S.J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Checklist and new records of Christmas Island fishes: the influence of isolation, biogeography and habitat availability on species abundance and community composition. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 184–202 https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/supplement-no-30/
Hobbs, J-P.A., Newman, S .J., Mitsopoulos, G.E.A., Travers, M.J., Skepper, C.L., Gilligan, J.J., Allen, G.R., Choat, H.J. & Ayling, A.M. 2014. Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: new records, community composition and biogeographic significance. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 30: 203–219 https://lkcnhm.nus.edu.sg/rbz/supplement-no-30/
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. (as Halichoeres ornatissimus)
Kuiter, R.H. 2010. Labridae fishes: wrasses. Seaford, Victoria, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 398 pp. (as Biochoeres claudia)
Ludt, W.B., Bernal, M., Bowen, B. & Rocha, L.A. 2012. Living in the past: Phylogeography and population histories of Indo-Pacific wrasses (genus Halichoeres) in shallow lagoons versus outer reef slopes. PLoS ONE 7(6): e38042. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0038042
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
Oxley, W.G., Ayling, A.M., Cheal, A.J. & Thompson, A.A. 2003. Marine surveys undertaken in the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve, March-April 2003. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science 59 pp.
Oxley, W.G., Emslie, M., Muir, P. & Thompson, A.A. 2004. Marine surveys undertaken in the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve, March 2004. Townsville : Australian Institute of Marine Science i-vii, 1-67 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. (as Halichoeres ornatissimus)
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. (as Halichoeres ornatissimus)
Randall, J.E. & Rocha, L.A. 2009. Halichoeres claudia sp. nov., a new Indo-Pacific wrasse (Perciformes:Labridae), the fourth species of the H. ornatissimus complex. Zoological Studies 48(5): 709-718. See ref online
Rocha, L. & Craig, M. 2010. Halichoeres claudia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T187699A8605358. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187699A8605358.en. Accessed on 16 January 2025.
