Common Name: Golden Wrasse

Distribution: Common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the eastern Indian Ocean including Christmas Island and south to Rowley Shoals, in the Western Pacific including the Solomon Islands, north to southern Japan, south to southern New South Wales. In Australia recorded from northern Western Australia, Queensland and south to Montague Island in southern New South Wales. 

Ecological Notes: Frequents offshore reef areas especially reef edges adjoining sand and rubble. Depth from 2 to at least 70 m, usually shallower.

Additional Notes: Bright yellow colouration with pale orange and green banding on head, juveniles with two ocelli on dorsal fin and small black spot on tail base, see lower photograph.  Feeds on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. Grows to 12 cm. 

References: 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+chrysus. Accessed 30/05/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Halichoeres-chrysus.html. Accessed 30/05/18.