Thalassoma lucasanum
Cortez rainbow wrasse
Same Genus
Distribution
Tropical Eastern Pacific
Description
Males with purple upper head, green lower head, broad yellow collar, and purple body. Females and juveniles with a yellow stripe from snout to tail base along mid body, another yellow stripe from above eye, along upper back to top of tail base, separated by a broad dark stripe with purple spots on body, a black stripe along base of dorsal fin, and a white belly with a purple stripe above. Form small aggregations over reefs.
Information
Max Size: 15 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 21.3-30.3°C
Depth: 0-64m
Habitat Generalization Index: 31.83
Also referred to as the SGI (Species Generalisation Index), this describes the habitat niche breadth of the species. Species with values less than 15 are found in a relatively narrow range of reef habitat types (specialists), while those over 25 may be found on most hard substrates within their range (generalists). Learn more here.
Conservation and Rarity
IUCN Status: Least Concern
Occurrence: Widespread (69.4% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Large aggregations (296 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: Joe Shields