Common Name: Harlequin Tuskfish

Distribution: Uncommon to rare in the Solitary Island Marine Park. Distribution in separate north-south areas, from Ryuku Islands to Taiwan in the north and New Caledonia to Queensland in the south. In Australia recorded from Torres Strait in northern Queensland, throughout the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef.

Ecological Notes: Frequents seaward coral and rocky reef, depth to at least 35 m.

Additional Notes: Striking red orange stripes on with white tail base, protruding front teeth, aids identification. Adults usually shy, solitary and territorial, often near caves or ledges. Feeds on molluscs. crustaceans, worms and echinoderms. Grows to 30 cm.

References: FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://fishbase.ca/summary/Choerodon-fasciatus.html. Accessed 11/05/18.

R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.294.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Choerodon+fasciatus. Accessed 11/05/18.