Floral wrasse
Cheilinus chlorourus
- Usual depth1–14 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Best monthsJuly, September, and October
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Pavel Borodin, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The floral wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean from the coast of Africa to the Tuamotus and Marquesas. Its range extends as far north as the Ryukyus and south to New Caledonia. It is an inhabitant of reefs in lagoons or coastal waters at depths of from 1 to 30 m. This species can reach 45 cm (18 in) in total length. It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Floral wrasse”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 157 records
- February: 156 records
- March: 195 records
- April: 254 records
- May: 274 records
- June: 305 records
- July: 491 records
- August: 283 records
- September: 401 records
- October: 455 records
- November: 272 records
- December: 153 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–14 m · Deepest record: 150 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C
Photos
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Nicola Crockford, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Debra Baker, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Valentin Moser, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Lawrence Troup, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Lin Scott, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Floral wrasse, floral wrasse, Maori Wrasse, Maori Wrasse, Floral wrasse, Redspotted Maori Wrasse, White-dotted Maori Wrasse
Names in 4 more languages
- Spanish
- Vieja Florida
- French
- Calambe, Labre à Tache Rouge, Labre maori, Les os verts, Madame Tombe, Perroquet, Perroquet, Vieille tachetée, Vieille tachetée
- Japanese
- Akatemmochinouo, Akaten-mochino-uo, アカテンモチノウオ
- Simplified Chinese
- 三齒仔, 汕散仔, 紅斑綠鸚鯛, 綠尾唇魚, 綠色龍, 绿尾唇鱼
Other scientific names: Cheilenus chlorurus, Cheilinus blochii, Cheilinus chlororus, Cheilinus chlorouros, Cheilinus chlorurus, Cheilinus decacanthus, Cheilinus guttatus, Cheilinus punctatus, Cheilinus punctulatus, Crenilabrus blochii, Sparus chlorourus, Thalliurus chlororus, Thalliurus chlorurus
Similar species
Tripletail wrasseCheilinus trilobatus
- Redbreasted wrasse
Cheilinus fasciatus
Snooty wrasseCheilinus oxycephalus
Humphead wrasseCheilinus undulatus
Blue GroperAchoerodus gouldii
Blue GroperAchoerodus viridis
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 3,877 open-data records from 1902 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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