You can sponsor this page

Thalassoma lunare (Linnaeus, 1758)

Moon wrasse
Add your observation in Fish Watcher
Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Thalassoma lunare   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
Upload your photos and videos
Pictures | Videos | Stamps, coins, misc. | Google image

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) > Labridae (Wrasses) > Corinae
Etymology: Thalassoma: Greek, thalassa = the sea + Greek, soma = body; the colour of the sea (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 20 m (Ref. 9823), usually 1 - 20 m (Ref. 27115). Subtropical; 24°C - 28°C (Ref. 27115); 32°N - 36°S, 24°E - 136°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa (Ref. 4392) to the Line Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island and northern New Zealand (Ref. 1602). Reported to have formed a hybrid with Thalassoma rueppellii (Ref. 41655).

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 45.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5450)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11. Adults are identified by the yellow lunate tail. Large males turn blue on the head that grades to green towards the tail (Ref. 48636). Body dark green to blue with vertical red to purplish red lines. Head green to blue with irregular pink to violet bands. Adults with large yellow crescent posteriorly in caudal fin and blue pectoral fins with a large elongate pink area distally. Juveniles with a large dark spot in middle of dorsal fin and a large diffuse black spot at base of caudal fin (Ref 9823).

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Occurs solitary or in groups (Ref. 90102) in the upper portions of lagoon and coastal reefs, and in protected seaward reefs (Ref. 1602). Enters estuaries (Ref. 48636). Usually found on upper portions of ledges and heads (Ref. 9710). Feeds mainly on small benthic invertebrates and fish eggs (Ref. 9823). A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

A diandric species (Ref. 55367). Length at sex change = 11.0 cm TL, forms leks during breeding (Ref. 55367).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator : Westneat, Mark | Collaborators

Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene, 1990. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p. (Ref. 2334)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 12 June 2008

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource | Sea Around Us

More information

Trophic ecology
Food items
Diet compositions
Food consumptions
Food rations
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Population dynamics
Growths
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversions
Recruitments
Abundances
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturities
Fecundities
Spawnings
Spawning aggregations
Egg(s)
Egg developments
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Distribution
Countries
FAO areas
Ecosystems
Occurrences
Introductions
BRUVS - Videos
Anatomy
Gill areas
Brains
Otoliths
Physiology
Body compositions
Nutrients
Oxygen consumptions
Swimming type
Swimming speeds
Visual pigment(s)
Fish sounds
Diseases / Parasites
Toxicities (LC50s)
Genetics
Genetics
Electrophoreses
Heritabilities
Human related
Aquaculture systems
Aquaculture profiles
Strains
Ciguatera cases
Stamps, coins, misc.
Outreach
Collaborators
References
References

Tools

Special reports

Download XML

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | National databases | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 24.6 - 29, mean 28 °C (based on 1296 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 0.5000   [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01230 (0.00793 - 0.01909), b=2.97 (2.85 - 3.09), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278):  4.2   ±0.27 se; based on food items.
Generation time: 5.8 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low to moderate vulnerability (35 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Very high.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 27.4 [12.5, 54.7] mg/100g; Iron = 0.542 [0.296, 1.065] mg/100g; Protein = 19.3 [16.5, 21.6] %; Omega3 = 0.187 [0.107, 0.327] g/100g; Selenium = 12.7 [6.2, 25.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 59.7 [17.7, 239.8] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.877 [0.582, 1.481] mg/100g (wet weight);