Cheilinus trilobatus
Tripletail Maori Wrasse | Trilobed Maori Wrasse
Similar Species
Distribution
Tropical Indo-Pacific
Description
Mottled green-brown body with patches of black and white, sometimes an indistinct broad banding pattern, and black spots along rear mid-line. Fine vertical lines over body, tail and base with white and black banding. Large males with three lobes on tail. Often seen swimming with dorsal, anal and tail fins tightly closed creating a triple pointed rear profile.
Information
Max Size: 45 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 21.4-31.3°C
Depth: 1-30 m
Habitat Generalization Index: 22.44
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: Common (26.1% 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 (2 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields