Stats

Lifespan

4-10 yrs

Size

Small

Diet

Carnivore

Activity

Diurnal

Social

School

Biome

Coral reef

Range

Red Sea

Movement

Swimming

Breeding

Egg-laying

Defense

Speed

Status

Rare

About

A brilliantly colored reef fish endemic to the Red Sea, where males display a dazzling mosaic of blue, orange, and magenta that intensifies dramatically when they change sex from female — a transformation driven by social dominance.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   hatchling fry

   A tiny fry hatches with a yolk sac and begins free-swimming once the sac is absorbed.
2. 2.
   juvenile

   A juvenile takes on adult body shape and feeds on small prey, often in nursery waters.
3. 3.
   adult

   Fully grown at adult size and coloration.

Learn more

• View on iNaturalist →

Taxonomy

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Actinopterygii

Order

Labriformes

Family

Labridae

Genus

Thalassoma

Species

Thalassoma rueppellii