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Candy cane wrasse (Hologymnosus doliatus) — Labridae

Candy cane wrasse

Hologymnosus doliatus
Family: Labridae
LC · Least Concern

The Candy cane wrasse (Hologymnosus doliatus) is a saltwater fish of the family Labridae that grows up to 50 cm.

Length
50 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
1.0–35.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Diurnal
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like)
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The candycane wrasse is a wrasse from the Indo-Pacific. The species grows to about 50 cm and has a very elongate, slender body; adults are greenish to bluish with fine cross-bars, while juveniles are white with red longitudinal stripes. As a reef-dweller it searches over sand and rubble bottoms for small crustaceans, molluscs and fish and buries itself in the sand when threatened. Like many wrasses it is a protogynous hermaphrodite. The fish is harmless to humans. The IUCN assesses the species as Least Concern (LC).

Frequently asked questions

How do you recognise the Candy cane wrasse?

The Candy cane wrasse has an elongate, eel-like body, is mainly green and shows a vertical stripes pattern.

Where does the Candy cane wrasse live?

The Candy cane wrasse lives in the sea (marine waters) and is mostly found around stony or rocky ground.

How big does the Candy cane wrasse get?

The Candy cane wrasse grows to a maximum of about 50 cm. On average the species is around 38 cm.

Is the Candy cane wrasse dangerous to humans?

No, the Candy cane wrasse is harmless to humans.

Is the Candy cane wrasse edible?

The Candy cane wrasse is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Gebande zwaardlipvis verified
English name
Candy cane wrasse verified
Scientific name
Hologymnosus doliatus
Family
Labridae
Other names
Candycane; Longface wrasse; Narrow-banded wrasse verified

Appearance

Size class
Large verified
Max length (cm)
50.0 verified
Average length (cm)
38.0 verified
Body shape
Elongated (eel-like) sourced
Dominant colour
Green inferred
Pattern
Vertical bars sourced
Tail shape
Crescent (lunate) inferred
Mouth position
Terminal sourced
Lips
Thick / fleshy sourced
Barbels
No sourced
Dorsal fins
One continuous sourced
Dorsal spines
No sourced

Habitat & distribution

Water type
Saltwater sourced
Substrate
Stone or rock sourced
Min depth (m)
1.0 verified
Max depth (m)
35.0 verified
Origin
Native verified

Behaviour & biology

Diet
Carnivore sourced
Social behaviour
Solitary sourced
Territorial
No sourced
Activity
Diurnal sourced
Reproduction
Protogynous (female first) sourced
Sexual dimorphism
No sourced

For anglers

Edibility
Rarely eaten sourced
Fishing method
Vissen met natuurlijk aas (vis, garnaal, worm) of kunstaas dicht bij rif- en rotsstructuren. inferred
Regulations source
FishBase ↗ inferred

Safety

Danger to humans
Harmless sourced

Status & sources

Sources
FishBase via GBIF (DwC-A), CC-BY-NC 4.0

Same genus Hologymnosus

More from the family Labridae

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