Pseudocheilinus octotaenia Jenkins, 1901

Common Name & Base Body Color

Pseudocheilinus octotaenia, commonly called the eight-lined wrasse, has a base body color ranging from reddish to yellowish.

Flank Stripe Pattern

It has approximately eight thin, purplish horizontal stripes running along its flanks, with the top three stripes extending onto its head.

Head & Body Markings

Small yellow spots appear on its cheek and gill cover, and some individuals have large yellow markings that may be blotches or dashes across their bodies.

Maximum Length

This species reaches a maximum standard length of 14 cm (5.5 in).

Taxonomic History

This species was first formally described by American physiologist and histologist Oliver Peebles Jenkins (1850–1935) in 1901, with its type locality recorded as Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii.

General Distribution Range

The eight-lined wrasse has an Indo-West Pacific distribution.

Specific Distribution Localities

In the western Indian Ocean, it occurs from the Comoros and the Seychelles; in the Pacific Ocean, it ranges east to Hawaii and Ducie Island, north to Japan’s Yaeyama Islands, and south to New Caledonia.

Reef Habitat Type

This is a benthopelagic species that inhabits rubble or live coral areas on seaward reefs.

Habitat Features & Depth Range

It prefers regions with caves and crevices that support abundant invertebrate growth, and has been recorded at depths down to at least 40 metres (130 ft).

Diet Composition

It is a carnivorous fish that feeds mostly on benthic crustaceans, and also preys on small molluscs, sea urchins, fish eggs, and crab larvae.

Activity Pattern

The eight-lined wrasse is a solitary, diurnal species.

Nocturnal Shelter Behavior

It shelters in cavities, and creates a mucus cocoon to sleep in at night.

Mucus Cocoon Function

It is thought that this cocoon protects the fish from nocturnal predators by masking the sleeping individual’s scent.