Blue and Yellow Wrasse

Interesting Info

• The Blue and Yellow Wrasse is a spectacularly coloured wrasse found in tropical and subtropical waters of Western Australia, ranging from Ningaloo Reef southwards to Rottnest Island.
• This species is endemic to Australia and does not naturally occur outside Western Australian waters, making it a special highlight of local reefs.
• Males are striking cobalt blue with vivid yellow bands across the body and fins, making them one of the most eye-catching wrasses on the reef.
• Females and juveniles are more subdued, with orange to reddish bodies, pale spots, and a yellow tail base that hints at their future adult colours.
• Like many wrasses, they are protogynous hermaphrodites—beginning life as females and later transforming into males as they grow larger and more dominant.
• They inhabit clear coastal and offshore reefs, often near outer reef slopes, sandy patches, and coral rubble zones where they can forage safely.
• Their diet consists of benthic invertebrates such as small crustaceans, snails, worms, and molluscs, which they pluck from sand and coral surfaces.
• At night, they bury themselves in sand to hide from predators, leaving no trace of their resting place.
• Juveniles often live in shallower, more sheltered parts of the reef, while adults are more common on deeper slopes and channels.
• Spawning occurs in pairs or small groups, with fertilised eggs drifting with plankton until hatching.
• Predators include larger reef fishes such as coral trout and emperors, as well as reef sharks.
• Divers prize sightings of this wrasse for underwater photography because of its brilliant blue and yellow contrast, which glows under natural sunlight.
• The Blue and Yellow Wrasse has a lifespan of about 5–10 years, with sex change to males usually occurring after 3–4 years.