False-eyed Wrasse, Halichoeres biocellatus Schultz 1960

Other Names: Biocellated Wrasse, Red-lined Wrasse, Twospot Wrasse

A female False-eyed Wrasse, Halichoeres biocellatus, at North Rinca Island, Indonesia. Source: zsispeo / Flickr. License: CC BY Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike

Summary:

The False-eyed Wrasse can be identified by the small green spot or mark behind the eye, and broad red submarginal band on the caudal fin.
Males (terminal phase) are generally greenish-brown with orange and green stripes on the head that become greenish-brown bands on the rear of the body.
Females (intermediate phase) are more colourful with pink, blue, and purple stripes on the body, and a pair of ocelli on the dorsal fin.
Juveniles (initial phase) have a series of orange, green and white stripes on the sides, a pair of ocelli on the dorsal fin, and a small black spot on the upper part of the caudal-fin base.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. & Thompson, A. 2020, Halichoeres biocellatus in Fishes of Australia, accessed 19 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/2289

False-eyed Wrasse, Halichoeres biocellatus Schultz 1960

More Info

Distribution	Cape Cuvier to the Murion Islands, and offshore reefs of north Western Australia, and the far northern Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, and reefs in the Coral Sea, to at least Seal Rocks, New South Wales, with juveniles to Montague Island. Elsewhere the species occurs in the tropical, east-Indo-west-central Pacific. Inhabits seaward reefs, including reef crests and slopes, usually in areas of mixed coral, rocky or rubble-algae substrates with sand patches.
Fisheries	Traded in the aquarium industry.
Species Citation	Halichoeres biocellatus Schultz 1960, Bull. U.S. Natl Mus. 202(2): 233, fig. 104. Type locality: Lagoon at Arji Island, Bikini Atoll, western Pacific, depth 20-40 feet.
Author	Bray, D.J. & Thompson, A. 2020
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

False-eyed Wrasse, Halichoeres biocellatus Schultz 1960

References

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