Halstead's Sandy, Novaculops halsteadi Randall & Lobel 2003
Other Names: Halstead's Sand-wrasse, Halstead's Wrasse, Redband Razorfish
A Halstead's Sandy, Novaculops halsteadi, on Holmes Reef in the Coral Sea, depth 15m. Source: Fenton Walsh / Cairns Marine. License: All rights reserved
Summary:
Juveniles and females are whitish with a single reddish-bown stripe running from above the eye to the rear of the dorsal-fin base. The more colourful males are bluish-purple with a pale-edged black spot behind the head (on and below the seventh lateral-line scale).
Shown here is a purple male with the characteristic black spot behind the head. Females are white overall with a single brown stripe running down the dorsal region. In the wild and in aquariums, they can be maintained in small groups of multiple females and a single male.
Shown here is a purple male with the characteristic black spot behind the head. Females are white overall with a single brown stripe running down the dorsal region. In the wild and in aquariums, they can be maintained in small groups of multiple females and a single male.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2019, Novaculops halsteadi in Fishes of Australia, accessed 09 Apr 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/4893
Halstead's Sandy, Novaculops halsteadi Randall & Lobel 2003
More Info
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Distribution |
Recorded from Holmes Reef, in the Coral Sea off Queensland. Elsewhere, the species is known from Northern Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea, to Tahiti and the Society Islands, and north to southern Japan. Individuals or small groups inhabit open stretches of sand and sand/rubble, including slopes and rubble channels well away from the reef. When threatened they dive into the sand. |
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Feeding |
Feeds on benthic invertebrates. |
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Remarks |
Randall (2013) placed this species in the genus Novaculops. |
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Etymology |
The species is named for Robert A. Halstead, who observed it in Papua New Guinea and suspected it was undescribed. |
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Species Citation |
Xyrichtys halsteadi Randall & Lobel 2003, Bulletin of Marine Science 72(3): 972, figs. 1-3. Type locality: Uama Island, west end, 9°27'18"S, 150°57'00"E, D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Papua New Guinea, depth 34-41 m. |
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Author |
Bray, D.J. 2019 |
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Resources |
Halstead's Sandy, Novaculops halsteadi Randall & Lobel 2003
References
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. (as Xyrichthys halsteadi)
Kuiter, R.H. 2010. Labridae fishes: wrasses. Seaford, Victoria, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 398.
Randall, J.E. 2013. Seven new species of labrid fishes (Coris, Iniistius, Macropharyngodon, Novaculops, and Pteragogus) from the Western Indian Ocean. Journal of the Ocean Science Foundation 7: 1-43. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1041964, open access
Randall, J.E. & P.S. Lobel. 2003. Xyrichthys halsteadi, a new labrid fish from the Western and Central Pacific. Bulletin of Marine Science 72(3): 971-977. See ref online
