Macropharyngodon choati

Choats Wrasse | Choat's Leopard-wrasse | Red-flecked Wrasse
Macropharyngodon choati
Macropharyngodon choati, adult, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
Macropharyngodon choati
Macropharyngodon choati, juvenile, NSW, Australia, Photo: Ian Shaw
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Macropharyngodon choati
Macropharyngodon choati

Distribution

Temperate Australasia, Tropical Indo-Pacific


Description

White body with large irregular orange patches, and a yellow-edged dark spot on operculum behind eye. Solitary, but juveniles sometimes school with other juvenile wrasses. Endemic to eastern Australia.


Information

Max Size: 8 cm

Sea Temperature Range: 19.7-29.9°C

Depth: 0-30 m

Habitat Generalization Index: 2.25

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 (9.7% 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