Lyretail Pigfish

Interesting Info

• The Lyretail Pigfish occurs in Australia along the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea (Queensland).
• Globally, it is found throughout the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa across to southern Japan, French Polynesia, and Tonga.
• It is easily recognised by its pale body marked with a broad dark band running diagonally from the snout through the eye, and another band on the rear body extending into the caudal fin lobes.
• The tail is lyre-shaped, with elongated fin rays, giving the species its common name “Lyretail.”
• Juveniles are strikingly different in appearance, being black with bright white stripes, and they often act as cleaner fish for larger reef species.
• As they mature, juveniles lose the striped pattern and develop the adult’s distinctive bands and lyre-shaped tail.
• Males and females are similar in appearance, though males are usually larger and show more vivid fin colours during spawning displays.
• It feeds mainly on benthic invertebrates such as molluscs, crustaceans, and worms, which it picks from sand and coral rubble.
• Juveniles also consume ectoparasites while cleaning larger fish, providing a useful ecological service.
• This wrasse is diurnal, actively foraging during the day and sheltering in crevices at night.
• Spawning occurs in pairs or small groups, with fertilised eggs drifting in open water until hatching.
• The species likely has a moderate lifespan of 8–10 years in the wild, similar to other small-to-medium pigfishes.
• Predators include groupers, reef sharks, and larger predatory wrasses, but juveniles are especially vulnerable due to their cleaning behaviour in exposed areas.
• In aquariums, they are admired for their beauty and cleaner-fish juvenile stage, though they require large tanks with sandy bottoms and plenty of cover.