Cleaner Wrasse

Labroides dimidiatus

CommonLabridaeHarmless

ID points

A black stripe runs from the snout straight through to the tail
Front of the body pale blue, turning deep blue towards the rear
Dances with an up-and-down waggle of the tail when approaching big fish

Basics

Family: Labridae
Length: 8–14 cm
Depth: 1-40 m
Regions: Indo-Pacific reefs
Distribution: Cleaning stations on Indo-Pacific coral reefs
Habitat: Cleaning stations on coral reefs
Diet: Parasites and dead skin from larger fish

Easily confused with

Flasher WrasseCourting males flash neon colours over the whole body in an instant

Six-line WrasseSix orange stripes run from head to tail on a purple ground

Rockmover Wrasse (Juvenile)Juveniles have two fin rays on top of the head drawn out like antennae

Fun fact

The cleaner wrasse is only 10 cm long, with a blue and black stripe running down its body, and it works a fixed cleaning station where larger fish come to have parasites, dead tissue and even scraps of food picked out of their mouths. Groupers and barracuda queue up politely and open wide to let it work inside, and never harm it.

More in this family

Open in the field guide - stacking filters and ID training >