#choerodon

[herpsandbirds]

Harlequin Tuskfish (Choerodon fasciatus), family Labridae, order Labriformes, found in the western Pacific Ocean

photograph by Luiz Rocha

[herpsandbirds]

Harlequin Tuskfish (Choerodon fasciatus), family Labridae, order Labriformes, found in the western Pacific Ocean

photograph by The Biota Group

[herpsandbirds]

Harlequin Tuskfish (Choerodon fasciatus), family Labridae, order Labriformes, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia

photograph by Leonard Low 

[libutron]

Harlequin Tuskfish - Choerodon fasciatus 

Commonly named Harlequin Tuskfish, Choerodon fasciatus (Perciformes - Labridae) is a distinctive fish that seems to have been painted with watercolors in stripes of blue, yellow, red and orange colors. This fish lives in lagoons that are located on the outer edges of reef areas throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Being part of the wrasse family, all Choerodon fasciatus hatch as females (they are protogynous hermaphrodite). As they become adults, loose social groups form. Within each social group, the most dominant female undergoes physiological changes to become a male. Each group consists of one male and multiple females. When the males dies or leaves the second most dominant female becomes the male.

Photo credit: ©Michael McKnight | Locality: Heron Island Queensland, Australia (2014)