About Oxycheilinus bimaculatus (Valenciennes, 1840)
Common Name and Size
This species, commonly known as the two-spot wrasse, grows to a length of approximately 14 centimeters, or 5.5 inches.
Body Coloration
Its body coloration ranges from brown to yellow or green, and may present as spots or streaks.
Facial Marking
A small dark marking is present behind each of its eyes.
Geographic Range
The two-spot wrasse lives in tropical and subtropical coastal waters across the Indo-Pacific region, ranging from East Africa to Hawaiʻi, southern Japan, and Vanuatu.
Depth Range
It can be found at depths between 2 meters (7 feet) and 110 meters (361 feet).
Habitat Preferences
This species occupies either benthic or bentho-pelagic habitats, and is most often found on outer reef slopes, in lagoons, and in seagrass beds.
Population Abundance by Region
It is typically common in Hawaiʻian and Japanese waters, but occurs more rarely off the coast of Africa and in French Polynesia.