Tail-spot wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus)

General data
- Main name: Tail-spot wrasse
- Climates: Tropical
- Habitat: Saltwater
- Native: Asia, Australia & Oceania
- Distribution: Pacific Ocean, Indian ocean
Classification
- Genus: Halichoeres - Halichoeres
- Family: Labridae - Wrasses
- Order: Labriformes - Wrasses
- Class: Teleostei - Ray-finned fishes
- Superclass: Osteichthyes - Bony fishes
Description
Indo-Pacific: from Bali, Indonesia and Western Australia to Micronesia and Samoa; north to Japan; south to Australia. Max length : 12 cm Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11-12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11 - 12; Vertebrae: 25. Stripes on male body blue-green and orangish in life, becoming salmon pink and green anteriorly; a dark spot behind eye contained within a brown band that bifurcates posteriorly. Females with a small black spot on 1st interspinous membrane of dorsal fin, another between 2nd-3rd soft rays; a spot at the upper base of caudal fin. Anterior lateral line scales with 1-4 pores (usually 2). Pelvic fins of males reaching to or beyond the anus.