#2276 · 🐟 fish

Caribbean Bluehead Wrasse

Thalassoma bifasciatum

LCleast concern 🐟 Fish 📍 outside Europe

8 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

what is it?

The bluehead wrasse or blue-headed wrasse ( Thalassoma bifasciatum ) is a species of saltwater fish in the wrasse family (Labridae) of order Perciformes native to the coral reefs of the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. Individuals are small (less than 110 mm standard length) and rarely live longer than two years. They form large schools over the reef and are important cleaner fish in the reefs they inhabit.

base stats

NL sightings 0iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 7,558iNaturalist observations
threat LCleast concern

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

No confirmed wild sightings in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: you'd have to travel for this one.
7,558 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Scientifically named by Marcus Elieser Bloch in 1791 (235 years ago).