Halichoeres richmondi

Halichoeres richmondi, commonly called the Richmond's wrasse or chain-lined wrasse, is a fish species in the wrasse family native from the central Indo-Pacific.

Halichoeres richmondi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Halichoeres
Species:
H. richmondi
Binomial name
Halichoeres richmondi

Description

The Richmond's wrasse is a small fish that can reach a maximum length of 19 cm.[3]

It has a thin, elongate body with a terminal mouth and a more pointed snout than other wrasse belonging to genus Halichoeres.

Body coloration has few variations according to age.

The juvenile has a light blue-green background color with many orange stripes. It has also two black ocellus: the first one on top part of its caudal peduncle and the second one in the middle of its dorsal fin. A black spot occurs on the first rays of the dorsal fin. Juveniles and females have in common an orange anal fin.

Mature male are quite different. Their body is greenish with many fin blue lines that are chain-like. A concave head profile with a green-brown color. The external border of their dorsal, caudal and anal fins are blue.

Distribution & habitat

The chain-lined wrasse is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the central Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia to Philippines and from Solomon Islands to south Japan.[1]

This wrasse occurs in shallow waters from lagoons and channels rich in soft coral down to a depth of 12 meters.[4][5][6]

Biology

The chain-lined wrasse lives and feeds in small loose groups.[6] It is a benthic predator that feeds mainly on small marine invertebrates such as crustaceans, molluscs, worms and echinoderms captured on or in the substrate.[5] Like most wrasse, the chain-lined wrasse is a protogynous hermaphrodite, i.e. individuals start life as females with the capability of turning male later on.

Conservation status

The species is targeted but not thought to be threatened by the aquarium trade. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN.[1]

Species description and etymology

Halichoeres richmondi was described in 1928 by the American ichthyologists Henry Weed Fowler and Barton Appler Bean with the type locality given as Inamucan Bay on Mindanao in the Philippines.[7] The specific name honours the ornithologist Charles Wallace Richmond (1868-1932) of the United States National Museum.[8]

References
  1. Choat, J.H.; Yeeting, B. (2010). "Halichoeres richmondi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T187507A8553604. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187507A8553604.en. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2019). "Halichoeres richmondi" in FishBase. August 2019 version.
  3. Lieske & Myers,Coral reef fishes,Princeton University Press, 2009, ISBN 9780691089959
  4. Lieske, E. and R. Myers, 1994. Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Harper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
  5. Kuiter, R.H. and T. Tonozuka, 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidae - Callionymidae. Zoonetics, Australia. 304-622 p.
  6. Rudie Kuiter, "Labridae fishes: wrasses", Aquatic Photographics, 2010, OCLC 666712329
  7. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Halichoeres richmondi". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
  8. Fowler, H. W. & B. A. Bean (1928). "Contributions to the biology of the Philippine Archipelago and adjacent regions. The fishes of the families Pomacentridae, Labridae, and Callyodontidae, collected by the United States Bureau of Fisheries steamer "Albatross," chiefly in Philippine seas and adjacent waters". Bulletin of the United States National Museum. 7 (100): i-viii + 1-525.
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