Notolabrus fucicola
Purple wrasse | Kelpie | Parrotfish
Similar Species
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Base colour varies, but always with five pale/yellow patches along the back which usually extend onto the dorsal fin. Sometimes additional light patch on shoulder behind head and on upper tail base, and 2-3 light streaks on the anal fin. Juveniles highly variable in colour and extremely similar to juvenile N. tetricus (blue-throat wrasse), but lacking any dark vertical bars, and usually with red to orange outer eye.
Information
Max Size: 38 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 10.4-21.4°C
Depth: 1 - 90 m
Habitat Generalization Index: 27.05
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Widespread (50.6% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Few (4 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney