Zigzag Wrasse

Halichoeres scapularis, commonly known as the Zigzag Wrasse, is a member of the wrasse family, indigenous to the Indo-West Pacific region.

The Zigzag Wrasse is a relatively small fish, with a maximum length of 20 cm. It features a slender, elongated body with a terminal mouth. Its coloration varies with maturity. Juveniles and females possess a pearly white background with a distinctive black, yellow, or black-and-yellow zigzag stripe along the lateral line. In contrast, mature males exhibit a more complex coloration pattern. The lower part of the lateral line is pearly with a pinkish sheen, and the black or yellow stripe may fade or be reduced to a short dash with age. The upper part of the body displays greenish hues with pink accents extending to the base of the dorsal fin, which is accented by a bright yellow line. This yellow line is overlaid by successive blue, yellow, green, and finally a pinkish line. The eye's iris is orange.

The Zigzag Wrasse is distributed widely across the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific, from the eastern coast of Africa, including the 🌊 Red Sea, to the 🇵🇭 Philippines, and from 🇳🇨 New Caledonia (🇫🇷 Overseas France) to southern 🇯🇵 Japan. It inhabits mixed areas of top reefs, such as sand, rubble, and coral, in shallow waters down to a depth of 20 meters.

While the Zigzag Wrasse can occasionally be found in small groups, it is typically solitary and may display aggressiveness towards conspecifics. Additionally, like most wrasse species, the Zigzag Wrasse is a protogynous hermaphrodite, meaning individuals initially mature as females, with the potential to transition to males later in life.