Moon Wrasse

The Moon Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare), also called the lyretail wrasse, is a common, fast-moving reef wrasse across the Indo-Pacific. It is emerald to blue-green with striking magenta-pink streaks across the head and fins, and its name comes from the bright yellow crescent-moon shape on its tail. An energetic, constantly cruising fish, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite with terminal males showing the most intense colours. Moon Wrasse are frequently seen on shallow reefs and are hardy, widely kept aquarium fish.

Recognize a Moon Wrasse by:

• Emerald/blue-green body with pink-magenta wavy streaks on the head and fins.
• A distinctive yellow crescent (lunate) tail.
• Streamlined, fast-swimming wrasse profile, ~20-25 cm.

Other Thalassoma wrasses share the streaky face, but the yellow crescent tail is characteristic of T. lunare.

Moon Wrasse occur on coral reefs, reef flats, lagoons, and rocky shorelines from the surface to about 20 m throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific and western Pacific. They prefer areas with live coral and structure and are among the most conspicuous wrasses of shallow reef zones, ranging widely as they forage.

Moon Wrasse are restless, diurnal, and fast-swimming, ranging over the reef in search of small crustaceans, worms, molluscs, and fish eggs, and sometimes following larger foragers to snap up disturbed prey. At night they shelter in reef crevices. They are protogynous hermaphrodites; dominant terminal-phase males are the brightest and court females above the reef, spawning in the water column.