Halichoeres scapularis, commonly called the zigzag wrasse, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Labridae. It is native to the Indo-West Pacific.Lieske & Myers, Coral reef fishes, Princeton University Press, 2009,
Description The zigzag wrasse is a relatively small fish, with a maximum length of . It has a thin, elongate body with a terminal mouth. A juvenile or female zigzag wrasse has a pearly white background with a black or yellow stripe zigzagging along the lateral line, and the body coloration of males is much more elaborated: the inferior side of the lateral line is pearly with pinkish reflection, the aforementioned black or yellow stripe along the lateral line is present (but tends to disappear with age or may be reduced to a short dash), and the superior side is greenish with pink accents until the base of the dorsal fin, which is bright yellow. Superimposed over this yellow line is a blue line, a yellow line, green line and finally a pinkish one, in that order. The irises are orange.
Distribution and habitat The zigzag wrasse is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from the eastern coast of Africa, Red Sea included, to the Philippines, and from New Caledonia to southern Japan.
The zigzag wrasse appreciates mixed areas of top reef (sand/rubble/corals) in shallow water down to 20 meters depth.
Biology The zigzag wrasse can live in small groupsAllen, G.R. and M.V. Erdmann, 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth, Australia: University of Hawaiʻi Press, Volumes I-III. Tropical Reef Research., but is usually solitary and may even be aggressive towards conspecifics.Cornic, A., 1987. Poissons de l'Ile Maurice. Editions de l'Océan Indien, Stanley Rose Hill, Ile Maurice. 335 p. Like most other wrasses, the zigzag wrasse is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with all individuals starting life as female with the capability of switching sex later on.
Conservation status The species is targeted but not thought to be threatened by the aquarium trade, and is listed as a Least Concern (LC) species by the IUCN.
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