WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Surge Wrasse

Thalassoma purpureum

Also known as: Green-blocked Wrasse, Lunate-tailed Wrasse, Purple Wrasse, Rainbow Wrasse, Red-and-Green Wrasse

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@fishx6 · Rarotonga, Cook Islands · August 20171 / 18
01

Overview

Found in schools, in surge zones, over outer reef flats, reef margins, and rocky coastlines.

Most reef fish seen by divers during the day, are grazers, they cruise around, just above the surface of the coral, or snoop into crevices, foraging for food.
Wrasses have small protruding teeth, which they use to graze the bottom, taking in a variety of algae, crustaceans, such as crabs, eggs, shrimps, snails and worms. Any hard coats or thick shells, are then ground down by their pharyngeal jaws, and the delicacies inside digested.
From juvenile to adult, wrasses dramatically alter their colour and body shapes.
Wrasses are always on the go during the day, but are the first to go to bed and the last to rise.
Small wrasses dive below the sand to sleep, and larger wrasses wedge themselves in crevices.

02

How to identify

Pattern
stripes
Behaviour
schooling

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

  • Range · Indo-Pacific, Southeast Atlantic
  • Dive site · 2
  • Country only · 16
LIVES IN

Found in schools, in surge zones, over outer reef flats, reef margins, and rocky coastlines.

04

Adult photos 18

05

Discussion 2

Comments are checked by a moderator before they appear.

2 comments

  • Raed· 11 Jul 2016

    Hi, who know if this fish is eatable?

ALL STAGES
FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

Deep dive

Taxonomy

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderEupercaria incertae sedis
  5. familyLabridae
  6. genusThalassoma
  7. speciesThalassoma purpureum (Forsskål, 1775)

SourcesWoRMSFishBase

06

More in the family

Wrasses (Labridae)