Rockmover Wrasse
Novaculichthys taeniourus
- Class
- Ray-finned fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 1,637
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
Novaculichthys taeniourus, also known as the rockmover wrasse, carpet wrasse, dragon wrasse, bar-cheeked wrasse, olive-scribbled wrasse or reindeer wrasse, is a species of wrasse mainly found in coral reefs and lagoons in the Indo-Pacific region. These include habitats in the Gulf of California to Panama; tropical Pacific Ocean islands including Hawaii; the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia; and the Indian Ocean to the east coast of Africa. The common name, "rockmover wrasse", comes from their behavior of upending small stones and reef fragments in search of prey.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Novaculichthys”.