| Family: |
Labridae (Wrasses), subfamily: Bodianinae |
| Max. size: |
47 cm TL (male/unsexed) |
| Environment: |
reef-associated; marine; depth range 3 - 100 m |
| Distribution: |
Western Pacific: eastward to French Polynesia, north to Japan, south to New Caledonia. Myers & Lieske 1994 (Ref. 9710) list the subspecies loxozonus as occurring from Vietnam to the Marshall Islands and Tonga, north to the Ryukyu and Ogasawara Islands and the subspecies trotteri as occurring in the Line and Cook Islands and French Polynesia. Reports of Bodianus hirsutus (synonym of Bodianus macrourus) from SW Indian Ocean may be referring to this species. |
| Diagnosis: |
Dorsal spines (total): 12-12; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9-11; Anal spines: 3-3; Anal soft rays: 11-12. Adults usually with a large black blotch on the back, extending along the lower lobe of the tail fin to the black ventral fins, but reduced to a small patch in large males (Ref. 48636). Often misidentified as Bodianus hirsutus (synonym of Bodianus macrourus (Lacepede, 1801) (Ref. 54980). |
| Biology: |
Adults inhabit clear lagoon and seaward reefs (Ref. 1602), on slopes or along upper part of drop-offs (Ref. 48636). Feed mainly on benthic, hard-shelled, invertebrates such as mollusks and crustaceans (Ref. 9823). Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). |
| IUCN Red List Status: |
Least Concern (LC); Date assessed: 12 April 2008 Ref. (130435)
|
| Threat to humans: |
harmless |
Source and more info: www.fishbase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.
