tripletail wrasse
| Scientific name | Cheilinus trilobatus |
|---|---|
| Descriptor | Lacepède |
| Year of description | 1801 |
| IUCN category | LC |
| Family | Labridae |
| Genus | Cheilinus |
Introduction
Cheilinus trilobatus, commonly known as tripletail wrasse, is a salt water fish.
Who is it?
Genus Cheilinus
These kinds of fish belong to the Labridae family, more commonly called wrasses. In this family, a phylogenetic study describes two subgroups of the Cheilinini tribe, in which genus Cheilinus is included. This genus is close to Doratonotus, Epibulus, Oxycheilinus and Wetmorella genera. Although most of the species of genus Oxycheilinus were originally classified into the Cheilinus genus, in 2020, only 7 species are officially described as Cheilinus members.
All of these 7 species are predators in coral reefs. The larger species, including humphead wrasses, are on the highest levels of the food chain. These diurnal and territorial fish are easily caught by fishermen and hunters. All species are in danger of extinction.
Their body is moderately compressed, with a length equal or superior to the head. The colored patterns on their bodies often includes distinct vertical bars or marbling, or light sparse spots. Beside the wrasse family, these fishes are regularly confused with parrot fishes, such as Calotomus, Cetoscarus or Scarus fish.
These oviparous fishes form distinct pairs for reproduction. In addition, Cheilinus wrasses are protogynous, meaning that they are born female and then some of them turn into male. While growing, juveniles change color and sometimes patterns too.
Morphology
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Average size35 cm
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Maximum size45 cm
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Patternhorizontal stripes
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Average size35 cm
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Maximum size45 cm
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Patternhorizontal stripes
How to recognize the tripletail wrasse ?
The tripletail wrasse measures between 35 and 45 cm. This fish is multicolore with a predominantly rouge, jaune, vert, orange and marron body. The also has horizontal stripes.
Behaviour & Life cycle
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dietcarnivorous
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Sociabilityliving as a couple or alone
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territorialYes
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Way of livingdiurnal
The tripletail wrasse is a fish living as a couple or alone naturally found near the bottom. This species is carnivorous .
This species is territorial and does not appreciate the presence of intruders nearby, especially animals with similar behavior. It can also be virulent toward conspecifics. However, the tripletail wrasse has little concern for non-territorial animals.
Reproduction
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Reproductionovipare qui pond en eau libre
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Hermaphroditeprotogynous
The tripletail wrasse is a fish ovipare qui pond en eau libre. always born female. Growing up, individuals will change sex to become male, this is called successive hermaphroditism of the protogynous type.
Harmless species
This species does not represent any particular threats to humans when encountered in its natural environment.
Where to find it?
Where to see this species?
What is its habitat?
Natural environment characteristics
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Temperature25 - 30 °C
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Depth1 - 30 m
Biotope presentation
The tripletail wrasse is most often found at a depth between 1m and 30m. However, it is not impossible to find this species at other depths.
Fishkeeping
Not recommended
We do not recommend keeping this species in an aquarium. It has unpredictable needs which, if not met, generate significant stress, potentially leading to a shorter life expectancy, an interruption of its growth or the development of pathogens.
To go further
Sources & Contributions
Participation & Validation
The Fishipedia team and specialist contributors are committed to providing high-quality content. However, although the information comes from scientific sources or testimonials from specialists, the cards may contain inaccuracies.
Adrien Falzon
Benoit Chartrer
Julie Magnus
Translation
Translation done with the valuable contribution of our translators, who make this information available to a wider audience. We sincerely thank them for their commitment.
Bibliographic references
LABRIDAE - FAO Fisheries Synopsis - 1998.
Where to see this species?
Tags
Species of the same family
Same genus
Species of the same biotope
Scientific partners
