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Christmas wrasse (Thalassoma trilobatum) — Labridae

Christmas wrasse

Thalassoma trilobatum
Family: Labridae
LC · Least Concern

The Christmas wrasse (Thalassoma trilobatum) is a saltwater fish of the family Labridae that grows up to 30 cm.

Length
30 cm
Water
Saltwater
Depth
0.0–10.0 m
Diet
Carnivore
Behaviour
Solitary
Activity
Diurnal
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped
Substrate
Stone or rock
Danger
Harmless
Edibility
Rarely eaten

Description

The Christmas wrasse is a colourful wrasse from the Indo-Pacific. The species grows to about 30 cm and has a green body with red to pink cross-bars built up of a chain of blocks, giving it a festive look. As a reef-dweller it searches over rock and coral bottoms in the turbulent surge zone for small crustaceans, molluscs and sea urchins. 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 Christmas wrasse?

The Christmas wrasse has a torpedo-shaped body, is mainly green and shows a vertical stripes pattern.

Where does the Christmas wrasse live?

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

How big does the Christmas wrasse get?

The Christmas wrasse grows to a maximum of about 30 cm.

Is the Christmas wrasse dangerous to humans?

No, the Christmas wrasse is harmless to humans.

Is the Christmas wrasse edible?

The Christmas wrasse is rarely eaten.

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All data

Identification

Dutch name
Kerst-lipvis verified
English name
Christmas wrasse verified
Scientific name
Thalassoma trilobatum
Family
Labridae
Other names
Christmas wrasse verified

Appearance

Size class
Medium verified
Max length (cm)
30.0 verified
Body shape
Torpedo-shaped 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)
0.0 verified
Max depth (m)
10.0 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 Thalassoma

More from the family Labridae

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