The bluestreak cleaner wrasse will set up cleaning stations in a certain area 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 ventroanterior 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 Fact

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

Diet / Feeding

  • Diet consists of crustaceans, ectoparasites and mucus of fish that gather at cleaning stations.
  • Exhibits cleaning behavior exclusively during the day and mostly in the morning.

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).

Reproduction & Growth

  • Oviparous, egg-laying species.
  • Juvenile mortality in the great barrier reef is 50% in the first year of the life cycle. The average 12-month mortality, however, is 11.1%.

Conservation Status

  • “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

Additional Information

  • Other common names include “blue diesel wrasse,” “bridled beauty” and “cleaner wrasse.”

Sources

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