Common Name: Finespot Wrasse

Distribution: Abundant in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Generally found in eastern Australia, north to Papua New Guinea, east to Fiji, south to New South Wales.
In Australia recorded from the offshore reefs of northern Western Australia, Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef south to south to southern New South Wales, and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequent rubble and reef areas, occasionally in exposed areas. Depth range from 2 to at least 35 m.

Additional Notes: Adults totally different colouration to 3 cm juvenile in first picture. Juveniles coloured from brown to pink/orange, with white spot on snout and black spot just above the centre line of the caudal peduncle. Juvenile very secretive, among rubble, corals and rocks, sometimes in small groups. Adult males have long trailing filaments on pelvic fins, often half or more of body length, see lower photograph. Grows to 13 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.299.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=cirrhilabrus+punctatus. Accessed 15/05/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://fishbase.ca/summary/Cirrhilabrus-punctatus.html. Accessed 15/05/18.