The Macropharyngodon bipartitus is a small, dull-looking wrasse at first glance, but upon closer inspection, both males and females have stunningly intricate color patterns, making them a popular aquarium fish.
Details
§ 01
size
Max. 12 cm
color
Females orange with white spots, and a large black and blue area on belly. Males dull orange-red with green and purple stripes on head, becoming blotches posteriorly. Orange area under soft dorsal.
order
Perciformes
family
Labridae
habitat and biology
This species is often found in environments with a mixture of broken coral, sand, and rubble. It feeds on benthic invertebrates, which are animals that live on or near the bottom of the ocean.
distinctive characters
This fish has a dorsal fin with nine spines and eleven rays, an anal fin with three spines and eleven rays, a pectoral fin with twelve rays, a body depth of 2.6 to 3.1 inches in standard length, a head that is naked, no median predorsal scales, and the fifth to sixth dorsal soft rays are usually the longest. Its caudal fin is rounded.