Common Name: Pastel Slender Wrasse

Distribution: Common in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific region: from East Africa and South Africa to Samoa and the Line Islands. In Australia recorded from around Exmouth and offshore reefs of northern Western Australia, the Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef in Queensland south to northern New South Wales and including Lord Howe Island.

Ecological Notes: Frequents areas of mixed sand and rubble on seaward reefs. Depth to 30 m.

Additional Notes: Adult male, top picture, has elongate body, pale greenish with narrow dark vertical stripes. Adult body not as deep as closely related Hologymnosus annulatus and juveniles generally paler body and belly with reddish vertical stripes. Juveniles usually in groups closer to the bottom, adults often solitary and in mid water patrolling large sections of reef. Feed on small fishes, crustaceans, brittlestars and polychaetes. Grows to 50 cm.

References: R. Stuart-Smith, G. Edgar, A. Green, I. Shaw, Tropical Marine Fishes of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers, 2015. p.318.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=hologymnosus+doliatus. Accessed 01/06/18.

FishBase. Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2018. World Wide Web electronic publication. https://fishbase.ca/summary/Hologymnosus-doliatus.html. Accessed 01/06/18.