Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Labridae (Wrasses) > Julidinae
Etymology: Thalassoma: Greek, thalassa = the sea + Greek, soma = body; the colour of the sea (Ref. 45335); nigrofasciatum: Name from Latin, referring to the presence of black bars on the body.
More on author: Randall.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 15 m (Ref. 57555). Tropical; 7°S - 32°S, 142°E - 173°W
Western Pacific.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 57555)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11; Vertebrae: 25. Diagnosis: Dorsal rays VIII,13. Anal rays III,11, the first spine, when detectable is very slender and short. Pectoral rays 15-16 (usually 15). Lateral line scales 26-27. Head naked, except for a small patch of scales dorsally on opercle. Gill rakers 20-23. Body depth 5.9-3.6 in SL; head length (HL) 3.1-3.4 in SL; snout length 8.4-9.8 in SL; caudal peduncle depth 6.2-6.65 in SL; pectoral fins 4.0-4.3 in SL; pelvic fins 6.3-6.9 in SL. The caudal fin is truncate in young individuals, becoming strongly lunate with filamentous lobes in adult males. The initial phase is white with postorbital head and anterior body above pectoral-fin base black with an oblique yellow band above dorsal edge of opercle, a black bar over last 4 or 5 dorsal spines continuing ventrally across body, its posterior edge vertical, and a broader black bar over last 9 soft rays of dorsal fin, across the body, and posterior anal fin; a black spot on first 2 membranes of dorsal fin; the terminal males with yellow partly replacing the white, a salmon pink patch on chin, and blue ventrally on head and chest (Ref. 57555).
Body shape (shape guide): fusiform / normal.
Found solitary or in groups, most commonly on outer reef areas, and also found in coastal reefs, lagoons and tide pools (Ref. 57555, 90102).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
Randall, J.E., 2003. Thalassoma nigrofasciatum, a new species of labrid fish from the south-west Pacific. aqua, J. Ichthyol. Aquat. Biol. 7(1):1-8. (Ref. 57555)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources