Mature adult pictured here.
Sub adult pictured here.
Large juvenile pictured here. Earlier stages distinguished from Coris sandeyeri by smaller black spot which is lower on the tail base.
Small juvenile approx 25mm in length.
Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Western Pacific region: Indonesia and north to southern Japan. In Australia recorded from northern Western Australia, Queensland and New South Wales south to Forster.
Frequents seaward reefs, preferring open expanses of sand and rubble, patch reefs, usually deeper than 10 m. Depth to at least 70 m.
Male (top photograph) with small black spot on pectoral fin base and broad gold orange line mid body to tail base. Sub adults less patterned and without the series of black spots on dorsal surface just before the tail. Small juvenile in lower photograph around 25 mm in length. Larger juveniles similar colouration to the Eastern King Wrasse, Coris sandeyeri, but yellow stripe usually starts behind the pectoral fin, is not as dense and the tail fin is more coloured. Feeds on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. Grows to around 18 cm in length.
R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.310.
Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=halichoeres+hartzfeldii. Accessed 30/05/18.
FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Halichoeres-hartzfeldii.html. Accessed 30/05/18.