Halichoeres melanurus (Bleeker, 1851)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The tail-spot wrasse, Halichoeres melanurus, is a species of wrasse in the western Pacific from Japan to Samoa and Tonga and south to the Great Barrier Reef. This species is found along rocky shores or on coral reefs at depths from 1 to 15 m (3.3 to 49.2 ft). It can reach 12 cm (4.7 in) in total length. This species is popular for display in public aquaria and can be found in the aquarium trade.
The male of the species is more vibrant in colour generally, and when placed in the vicinity of one or more females may "flash" his colours with dramatically increased intensity. The female can be easily differentiated from the male by the presence of ocelli markings (eye spots) on the dorsal and caudal fins.
Wikipedia contributors, Tail-spot wrasse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:42:31.595788+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Halichoeres melanurus (Bleeker, 1851)
- Name authority
- (Bleeker, 1851)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Halichoeres
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyLabridae Cuvier, 1816
- subfamilyJulidinae Bonaparte, 1841
- genusHalichoeres Rüppell, 1835
- speciesHalichoeres melanurus (Bleeker, 1851)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Halichoeres. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| mangrove wrasseHalichoeres aestuaricola Bussing, 1972 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| greenband wrasseHalichoeres bathyphilus (Beebe & Tee-Van, 1932) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halichoeres bicolor (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| slippery dickHalichoeres bivittatus (Bloch, 1791) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| wounded wrasseHalichoeres chierchiae Di Caporiacco, 1948 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halichoeres chlorocephalus Kuiter & Randall, 1995 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halichoeres chloropterus (Bloch, 1791) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halichoeres chrysotaenia (Bleeker, 1853) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halichoeres claudia Randall & Rocha, 2009 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| yellowcheek wrasseHalichoeres cyanocephalus (Bloch, 1791) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Halichoeres discolor Bussing, 1983 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| chameleon wrasseHalichoeres dispilus (Günther, 1864) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Halichoeres hoeveni (Bleeker, 1851) (Bleeker, 1851) | synonym |
| Halichoeres hoevenii (Bleeker, 1851) (Bleeker, 1851) | synonym |
| Julis melanurus Bleeker, 1851 Bleeker, 1851 | synonym |
| Platyglossus melanurus (Bleeker, 1851) (Bleeker, 1851) | synonym |
| Julis hoevenii Bleeker, 1851 Bleeker, 1851 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275776 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3JBSR. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.