Halichoeres hortulanus

(Lacepède, 1801)

Vernacular names
English : Checkerboard wrasse
French : Labre échiquier

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

Identification
Juveniles bluish white with black lines and dots forming checkerboard pattern, yellow fins, green face with pink lines. Adults darker with bluer flanks, dark blue fins with blue dots and red edges.

Range and habitat
Indo-Pacific, from Red Sea and South Africa to Line, Marquesas and Tuamoto Islands, to south Japan and Great Barrier Reef. Found near sand patches of lagoons and seaward reefs.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species has a huge range where it is known as being widespread and locally common. It is caught in big numbers for the trade and possibly not yet bred under human care.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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