Bluehead Wrasse, Thalassoma amblycephalus (Bleeker 1856)


Other Names: Blue-head Wrasse, Blue-headed Wrasse, Bluntheaded Wrasse, Moon Wrasse, Paddle-fin Wrasse, Two-tone Wrasse

A terminal phase (male) Bluehead Wrasse, Thalassoma amblycephalum, in Fiji. Source: Nick Hobgood / Flickr. License: CC by Attribution-NonCommercial

Summary:
The brightly coloured males usually have a a green to bluish-green head, a yellow band around the anterior body followed by a pinkish body, a yellow pectoral fin with a broad blue outer margin, and a lunate tail. Juveniles have a broad dark stripe from snout through eye to the caudal-fin base, and yellow upper and lower parts of the caudal peduncle and caudal-fin lobes.
This specific name is sometimes spelled amblycephalum.

Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2019, Thalassoma amblycephalus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 29 Mar 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/Home/species/283

Bluehead Wrasse, Thalassoma amblycephalus (Bleeker 1856)

More Info


Distribution

About Rottnest Island to the Bonaparte Archipelago, including Rowley Shoals, Scott Reef and Hibernia Reef, Western Australia, Ashmore Reef in the Timor Sea, Veronica Island, Northern Territory, and north of Cape York, Queensland and reefs in the Coral Sea, to south of Eden, New South Wales; also Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean, and Middleton and Elizabeth reefs, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific.
Inhabits shallow lagoons, reef flats and seaward reefs at depths to 15 m. Small juveniles often stay close to the reef, while adults may form large midwater schools to feed on zooplankton.

Features

Dorsal fin VIII, 13; Anal fin III, 10-11.
Head naked, no scales on upper part of opercle. 

Feeding

Feeds on plankton, mostly on crustacea.

Etymology

The specific name amblycephalus is derived from the Greek amblys (= blunt) and kephale (= head), presumably in reference to the rounded head of this species.

Species Citation

Julis (Julis) amblycephalus Bleeker 1856, Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 11: 83  Type locality: Java, Indonesia.

Author

Bray, D.J. 2019

Resources

Atlas of Living Australia

Bluehead Wrasse, Thalassoma amblycephalus (Bleeker 1856)

References


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

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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 

Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp.

Allen, G.R., Steene, R.C. & Orchard, M. 2007. Fishes of Christmas Island. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 2 edn, 284 pp. 

Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls. 

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Bleeker, P. 1856. Verslag omtrent eenige vischsoorten gevangen aan de Zuidkust van Malang in Oost-Java. Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië 11: 81-92 

Cabanban, A. & Pollard, D. 2010. Thalassoma amblycephalum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010: e.T187490A8549696. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187490A8549696.en. Downloaded on 27 May 2019.

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Quick Facts


CAAB Code:37384164

Biology:Hermaphrodite

Conservation:IUCN Least Concern

Depth:0-15 m

Fishing:Aquarium fish

Habitat:Reef associated

Max Size:16 cm SL

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Species Maps

CAAB distribution map