Napoleon Wrasse
Napoleon Wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus
RareLabridaeHarmless
ID points
- Adults have a large bulging hump on the forehead
- Two black diagonal lines behind the eye, like painted-on eyeliner
- Large coarse scales on the sides, forming a green maze-like pattern
Basics
- Family
- Labridae
- Length
- 100–200 cm
- Depth
- 1-100 m
- Regions
- Indo-Pacific reefs
- Distribution
- Coral reefs of the Indian and Pacific Oceans
- Habitat
- Outer coral reef slopes and lagoons
- Diet
- Molluscs, sea urchins, crustaceans
Easily confused with
TuskfishUpper and lower jaws each carry a pair of protruding blue canine teeth
Harlequin TuskfishAlternating orange-red and white broad vertical bands, edged in blue
Bird WrasseExtremely long snout, curved like the beak of a birdFun fact
As a male Napoleon wrasse ages, his forehead swells into the bulging hump that gives the fish its name. He can reach 2.3 metres and weigh over 190 kg, which makes this one of the largest bony reef fish in the world.
More in this family
- Cleaner Wrasse
- Flasher Wrasse
- Leopard Wrasse
- Moon Wrasse
- Rockmover Wrasse
- Rockmover Wrasse (Juvenile)
- Six-line Wrasse
- Slingjaw Wrasse