Labrichthys unilineatus (Guichenot, 1847)

Labrichthys unilineatus, commonly called the tubelip wrasse, shows distinct coloration across its different life stages and sexes.

Juvenile Coloration

Juveniles are brown with two bluish white stripes running along their body; these stripes fade as the fish grows larger.

Female Coloration

Females are yellowish brown with faint stripes.

Male Coloration

Males have more intense, brighter coloration than females, and feature a large yellow patch around the base of the pectoral fin.

Lip Morphology

This species has thick, fleshy yellow lips that form a short tube when the mouth is closed.

Head Scaling

The head is mostly covered in scales, with the exception of the sheath over the base of the upper lip, the area in front of the eyes, and the chin.

Jaw Dentition

In the upper jaw, there are no teeth between the two forward pairs of canines and the large canine located at the corner of each jaw.

Fin Structure

The dorsal fin has 9 spines and 11 to 12 soft rays, while the anal fin has 3 spines and 10 to 11 soft rays.

Maximum Size

The maximum recorded total length for males of this species is 17.5 centimetres (6.9 in).

Labrichthys unilineatus was first formally described in 1847 as Cossyphus unilineatus by French naturalist Alphonse Guichenot, with the type locality recorded as Guam.

Genus Placement

In 1854, Dutch ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker moved C. unilineatus into the newly created monotypic genus Labrichthys.

Generic Name Etymology

The generic name combines the Greek word labrax, which can be translated as "voracious", and ichthys, which means "fish".

Specific Name Etymology

The specific name unilineatus means "one lined", and refers to the lateral stripe present on juveniles.

This tubelip wrasse has a wide distribution across the Indo-Pacific region.

Indian Ocean Range

It occurs along the East African coast in Tanzania and Mozambique, extends through the Indian Ocean including its major islands, and reaches as far east as Micronesia and Samoa in the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Ocean Range

Its range extends north to the Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan, and south to the Great Barrier Reef and Lord Howe Island off Australia.

Habitat Type

The species inhabits shallow lagoon reefs and semi-protected seaward reefs with high coral cover.

Preferred Microhabitat

It is most often found near branching corals, particularly staghorn corals of the genus Acropora.

Primary Diet

The polyps of these corals make up the main component of this wrasse's diet.