Thalassoma lunare

Moon wrasse | Blue Wrasse | Crescent Wrasse | Lyretail Wrasse
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare, juvenile, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare, juvenile, QLD, Australia, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare, Solitary Is, NSW, Photo: Andrew Green
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare, juvenile, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
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Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare
Thalassoma lunare

Distribution

Temperate Africa, Temperate Australasia, Temperate northern Pacific, Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Juveniles with green back, blue underside and black spots on middle of dorsal fin and tail base. Adults distinguished from T. lutescens (green moon wrasse) by blue pectoral fin with purple centre.


Information

Max Size: 25 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 16.2-31.2°C

Depth: 1-20 m

Habitat Generalization Index: 27.42

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 (51.5% 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: Many (13 per transect)

Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.


Edit by: RD Stuart-Smith, GJ Edgar, AJ Green, IV Shaw. 2015. Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland