Red-breasted wrasse

The red-breasted wrasse (Cheilinus fasciatus) is a species of wrasse native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

Description
This species can reach a maximum of 40 cm in standard length. Its head is greenish-blue, followed by a distinctive red-orange band followed by black and white stripes. Terminal phase fishes generally have a more pronounced red band and convex forehead than initial phase and juvenile fish.

Distribution
The red-breasted wrasse is native to the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region from the Red Sea and the African coast to the islands of the western Pacific.

Habitat and diet
The red-breasted wrasse lives in lagoons and seaward reefs in areas mixing rubble, coral, and sand at depths of from 4 to 60 m though rarer below 40 m.

It feeds mainly on crustaceans, sea urchins, hard-shelled invertebrates, and mollusks.