Leaf Wrasse

Interesting Info

• The Leaf Wrasse, also called the Blackspot Razorfish, is a bizarre-looking wrasse found across the Indo-Pacific, including northern Australia, the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and offshore islands like Christmas and Cocos (Keeling).
• Its body is extremely compressed from side to side, making it look like a blade or a drifting leaf, which helps it camouflage in sandy and rubble habitats.
• The species is named for the large black spot just behind its head, which stands out against its pale brown, greenish, or grey background colour.
• Juveniles are excellent mimics: they drift in the water like a dead leaf, rocking side to side to avoid detection by predators.
• Adults are shy and spend much of their time hovering just above the sand, ready to dive straight into it at the first sign of danger.
• Like other razorfishes, they bury themselves in sand at night to sleep or to hide from predators such as groupers, snappers, and reef eels.
• Their diet consists of small invertebrates like shrimps, crabs, worms, and molluscs, which they pluck from sand and rubble while foraging.
• They are protogynous hermaphrodites, beginning life as females and with some changing into males later in life.
• Spawning occurs in open water, often at dusk, when pairs or small groups release eggs and sperm into the current. The eggs float away as plankton before hatching.
• They are diurnal and active by day, retreating into the sand at night or when threatened.
• The lifespan of the Leaf Wrasse is estimated at around 5–7 years, similar to other medium-sized razorfishes.