Blue-throated Wrasse

Scientific Name: Notolabrus tetricus

Description: Probably the most common wrasse seen at the Bluff and in Victorian waters, the Blue -throated Wrasse is another extraordinary fish with a complex life history involving changing sex. Male Blue-throat Wrasse have a distinctive blue collar beneath their chin and dark brown and white markings, while females are brown-green.

Wrasse are initially all olive green juveniles that become females as they grow, with a dominating male on the reef suppressing them from further changing sex. If the male dies the other females will begin to change until the largest is successful in becoming male, and the others revert to being female again.

Blue -throated Wrasse are carnivores feeding mostly on crustaceans and molluscs.

Type: Bony Fish
Where to find: Subtidal reefs
Size: 50cm