Uncommon in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region: from East Africa to the Line, Marquesan and Society Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island. In Australia recorded north from Exmouth in Western Australia, from Queensland south to northern New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.
Frequents lagoons and seaward reefs where it is territorial around cleaning stations. Juveniles solitary and secretive in caves. Depth to at least 40 m.
Rear half of body white, and when visible, black stripe through eye narrows and terminates along the body. On similar Labroides dimidiatus, the black stripe widens and continues to tail. Adults may range over wide area looking for fish with ectoparasites. Sometimes ventures into the mouth and gill cavity on larger fish as well as cleaning parasites and mucus off the skin, see small juvenile in lower photograph. Grows to 15 cm, usually smaller.
R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.320.
Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=labroides+bicolor. Accessed 02/06/18.
FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Labroides-bicolor.html. Accessed 02/06/18.