Coris aygula

(Lacepède, 1801)

Vernacular names
English : Clown coris
French : Girelle-clown

Classification
Class : Teleostei
Order : Eupercaria i. s. (sometimes still Perciformes)
Family : Labridae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Juvenile white with reddish-brown to black spots on head and two orange saddles on back. Adults with ragged tail fin, bulbous forehead. Coloration dark blue to black with vertical blue band.

Range and habitat
Indo-Pacific, from Red Sea and East Africa to Line islands, to south Japan and Lord Howe Island. Found around exposed outer reef-flats, seaward reefs and lagoons, near rubble patches.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has a huge range but is nowhere common. Juveniles are highly prized for the trade and this could be a threat as well as the destruction of coral reefs in most of its range.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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