Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse

The bluestreak cleaner wrasse will set up cleaning stations in certain areas of the reef, where other fish will come and allow the wrasse to eat parasites from their bodies. This type of relationship is called mutualism, in which both the cleaner wrasse and the fish it cleans benefit from the interaction.

• Size

  Up to 5.5 inches (14 cm)

• Diet

  Mucus and parasites from other fish

• Range

  Indo-Pacific

• Habitat

  Coral rich areas, subtidal reef flats and seward reefs

Physical Characteristics

• Maximum length 5.5 inches (14 cm).
• Larger adults have a hook in the caudal fin.
• Juveniles are predominantly black with a single blue stripe running from their snout to the upper caudal fin.
• Adults are blue with a single thick black stripe from the caudal fin through their eyes.

Animal Fun Fact

Bluestreak cleaner wrasse are also known as “blue diesel wrasse” or “bridled beauty.”

Diet / Feeding

• Diet consists mostly of crustaceans, ectoparasites and mucus or scales of fish that gather at cleaning stations. They will also eat zooplankton and fish eggs.
• Exhibits cleaning behavior exclusively during the day and mostly in the morning, most likely due to parasites predominantly infecting hosts overnight.

Range / Habitat

• Occurs in the Indo-Pacific from Southern and Eastern Africa and the Red Sea. Also from southern Japan to the southern Great Barrier Reef and south-western Australia.
• Found in coral-rich areas, subtidal reef flats and seaward reefs to depths of at least 131 feet (40 m).
• Juveniles often found in kelp or areas heavy in macroalgae. Live in a home range dominated by one male and many females that stay together over many seasons.

Reproduction & Growth

• Oviparous, or egg-laying, species.

Conservation Status

• “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

Additional Information

• Other common names include “blue diesel wrasse,” “bridled beauty” and “cleaner wrasse.”
• New theories believe that fish may visit cleaning stations for wound care and old tissue removal rather than just parasite removal.
• Studies have shown that the diversity of reef fish declines without the presence of cleaner fishes.

Sources

• www.iucnredlist.org
• Bshary, R. (2003)  The cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, is a key organism for reef fish diversity at Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt.  Journal of Animal Ecology, 72, 169-176.
• Grutter, A. (1996) Parasite removal rates by the cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus.  Marine Ecology Progress Series, 130, 61-70.