Nebulous wrasse
Halichoeres nebulosus
- Usual depth0–9 m
- Water temperature21–30 °C
- Best monthsApril and May
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Michael Bakker Paiva, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The nebulous wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It can be found in groups at depths from 1 to 40 m on reef flats. This species feeds on fish eggs and benthic invertebrates, including crabs, sea urchins, ophiuroids, polychaetes, sponges and mollusks. Its coloration varies, ranging from brown to dark green. This species can reach 12 cm (4.7 in) in total length. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Nebulous 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: 59 records
- February: 48 records
- March: 92 records
- April: 220 records
- May: 165 records
- June: 92 records
- July: 56 records
- August: 71 records
- September: 70 records
- October: 100 records
- November: 80 records
- December: 57 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 0–9 m · Deepest record: 16.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 21–30 °C
Photos
(c) Nicola Crockford, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) 呂一起(Lyu yi-chi), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Micha Baum, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Robert Taylor, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Tim, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Nebulous wrasse, clouded rainbowfish, Clouded Rainbow Fish, Clouded Wrasse, Nebulosus Wrasse, nebulous wrasse, Picture Wrasse
Names in 2 more languages
- French
- Girelle Nébuleuse
- Japanese
- Inazumabera, イナズマベラ
Other scientific names: Halichoeres nebulosa, Halichoeres reichei, Julis nebulosus, Julis pseudominiatus, Julis reichei, Pseudojulis maculifer
Similar species
Checkerboard wrasseHalichoeres hortulanus
Argus WrasseHalichoeres argus
Biocellated WrasseHalichoeres biocellatus
Black-blotched RainbowfishHalichoeres chloropterus
Canary WrasseHalichoeres chrysus
Pearl-spotted WrasseHalichoeres margaritaceus
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).
- 1,908 open-data records from 1931 to 2023.
- Species data updated October 30, 2026.
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