Halichoeres leucurus

Halichoeres leucurus is a marine fish commonly known as greyhead wrasse, chainline wrasse, sand-reef wrasse or silty wrasse.^[3] They are harmless to humans and have a size of around 9 centimetres (3.5 in)–13 centimetres (5.1 in).^[3]

Halichoeres leucurus
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Labriformes
Family:	Labridae
Genus:	Halichoeres
Species:	H. leucurus
Binomial name
Halichoeres leucurus (Walbaum, 1792)
Synonyms[2]
Labrus leucurus Walbaum, 1792 Labrus purpurescens Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Halichoeres purpurescens (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)[1]

Dispersion

Halichoeres leucurus lives in the Western Pacific, specifically from the Philippines to New Guinea and from the Yaeyama Islands to southern Indonesia.^[2]

Biology

Halichoeres leucurus can be found in coral-rich lagoon and inner channel reefs 1–15 meters deep in mixed coral and algae habitats. These fish may be found solitary or in pairs. They feed on small benthic invertebrates like nematodes, flatworms, gastrotichs, mussels, oligochaete worms, and some amphipods.^{[4][failed verification]}

Description

H. leucurus has 9 dorsal spines, 13 Dorsal soft rays, 3 anal spines, and 13 anal soft rays. Males are recognized by the grey head when seen in natural light. The body has a lined pattern until female stage. Males have orange spots along scale rows.^[2]