Thalassoma is a genus of wrasses native to the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Many species occasionally make their way into the aquarium trade.
Taxonomy Although traditionally considered distinct genera, studies have repeatedly found that the two species of Gomphosus are nested within Thalassoma. This close affinity is reflected by the fact that in the wild, Gomphosus will sometimes create hybrid offspring with Thalassoma species. In 2025, it was proposed that all species in Thalassoma should be transferred to Gomphosus.
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are: +SpeciesCommon nameImageThalassoma amblycephalum (Bleeker, 1856)blunt-headed wrasseThalassoma ascensionis (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834)Ascension wrasseThalassoma ballieui (Vaillant & Sauvage, 1875)blacktail wrasseThalassoma bifasciatum (Bloch, 1791)bluehead wrasseThalassoma cupido (Temminck & Schlegel, 1845)Cupid wrasseThalassoma duperrey (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824)saddle wrasseThalassoma genivittatum (Valenciennes, 1839)red-cheek wrasseThalassoma grammaticum C. H. Gilbert, 1890sunset wrasseThalassoma hardwicke (J. W. Bennett, 1830)sixbar wrasseThalassoma hebraicum (Lacépède, 1801)goldbar wrasseThalassoma heiseri J. E. Randall & A. J. Edwards, 1984Pitcairn rainbow wrasseThalassoma jansenii (Bleeker, 1856)Jansen's wrasseThalassoma loxum J. E. Randall & Mee, 1994Oman wrasseThalassoma lucasanum (T. N. Gill, 1862)Cortez rainbow wrasseThalassoma lunare (Linnaeus, 1758)moon wrasseThalassoma lutescens (Lay & E. T. Bennett, 1839)sunset wrasseThalassoma newtoni (Osório, 1891)Newton's wrasseThalassoma nigrofasciatum J. E. Randall, 2003black-barred wrasseThalassoma noronhanum (Boulenger, 1890)Noronha wrasseThalassoma pavo (Linnaeus, 1758)ornate wrasseThalassoma purpureum (Forsskål, 1775)surge wrasseThalassoma quinquevittatum (Lay & E. T. Bennett, 1839)fivestripe wrasseThalassoma robertsoni G. R. Allen, 1995Robertson's rainbow wrasseThalassoma rueppellii (Klunzinger, 1871)Klunzinger's wrasseThalassoma sanctaehelenae (Valenciennes, 1839)St. Helena wrasseThalassoma septemfasciata T. D. Scott, 1959seven-banded wrasseThalassoma trilobatum (Lacépède, 1801)Christmas wrasseThalassoma virens C. H. Gilbert, 1890emerald wrasse
References