Pteragogus enneacanthus

Cockerel Wrasse | Cockatiel-fish | Redstriped Wrasse
Pteragogus enneacanthus
Pteragogus enneacanthus, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Pteragogus enneacanthus
Pteragogus enneacanthus, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Pteragogus enneacanthus
Pteragogus enneacanthus, Dampier, WA, Photo: Andrew Green
Pteragogus enneacanthus
Pteragogus enneacanthus, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
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Pteragogus enneacanthus
Pteragogus enneacanthus
Pteragogus enneacanthus
Pteragogus enneacanthus

Distribution

Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

Small cryptic wrasse with a high, mottled body, 8-10 fine white stripes often present on sides, the second upper-most of which with small dark spots along it, an ocellus on gill cover surrounded by a yellow/green ring which becomes oblong with age, and a series of fine blue lines below eye. Distinguished from P. cryptus (Cryptic Wrasse) by dorsal spine (9) and ray (11) counts - photo often necessary for field identification.


Information

Max Size: 15 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 16.2-31°C

Depth: 2-64m

Habitat Generalization Index: 2.12

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: Infrequent (2.6% 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: Solitary (1 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