Twotone Wrasse, Halichoeres prosopeion (Bleeker 1853)

Other Names: Half-grey Wrasse

A Twotone Wrasse, Halichoeres prosopeion, on the Great Barrier Reef. Source: Andrew J. Green / Reef life Survey. License: CC by Attribution

Summary:

A small wrasse with the head and front of body bluish-grey shading to yellowish behind, and a large black blue-edged spot near the front of the dorsal fin - males and females similar. Juveniles have four black stripes along the head and sides.

Cite this page as:

Dianne J. Bray, Halichoeres prosopeion in Fishes of Australia, accessed 21 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/239

Twotone Wrasse, Halichoeres prosopeion (Bleeker 1853)

More Info

Distribution	Known in Australia from the northern Great Barrier Reef, Qld, to Sydney, NSW; also at Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea. Found elsewhere in the tropical west-Pacific. Usually solitary in deeper coral-rich areas in lagoons, seaward reefs, along reef slopes and drop-offs at the bottom of large caves.
Features	Meristic features: Dorsal fin IX, 12; Anal fin III, 12; Pectoral fin 13-14; Lateral line pores 27. Head naked with a single forward-directed canine at corner of mouth; lateral line continuous.
Species Citation	Julis (Halichoeres) prosopeion Bleeker, 1853, Natuurwetenschappelijk Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 5: 347. Type locality: Ambon, Indonesia.
Author	Dianne J. Bray

Twotone Wrasse, Halichoeres prosopeion (Bleeker 1853)

References

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

Bleeker, P. 1853. Vierde bijdrage tot de kennis der ichthyologische fauna van Amboina. Natuurwetenschappelijk Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 5: 317-352.

Choat, J.H. 2010. Halichoeres prosopeion. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. . Downloaded on 18 August 2014

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. 2001. Checklist of the fishes of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 63: 9-50.

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

Kuiter, R.H. 2002. Fairy and rainbow wrasses and their relatives – a comprehensive guide to selected labrids. TMC Publishing, Chorleywood, UK.

Randall, J.E. 1981. Two new Indo-Pacific labrid fishes of the genus Halichoeres with notes on other species of the genus. Pacific Science 34(4): 415-432 figs 1-16

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.