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Labroides pectoralis Breastspot cleanerfish New Caledonia

LABROIDES PECTORALIS - (RANDALL & SPRINGER, 1975)

Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas

Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Perciformes (Order) > Labroidei (Suborder) > Labridae (Family) > Labroides (Genus)

Nettoyeur à tache noire, Black-spot cleaner wrasse, Breastspot cleanerfish, False bluestreak wrasse, Yellow cleaner, Spotbreast cleanerfish, Breastspot cleaner wrasse, Sumitsuki-somewakebera, スミツキソメワケベラ, 胸斑裂唇魚,

Description
Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12 (usually: 11); Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9-11 (rarely: 9); Pectoral fin rays: 13; Lateral line scales: 26. Scales on lateral line: 28 (+2 past hypural). Body depth: 3.3-3.92 in SL. Cheek, opercle and most of nape scaled; Lips and dentition as in genus; Caudal fin slightly rounded. Max. length: 11.0 cm TL. Depth range: 2 - 30 m.

Color
Adult with a black stripe from snout through eye to end of caudal fin, this stripe progressively broader as it passes posteriorly; A median dorsal black stripe from snout tip to dorsal fin; Head and anterior body between black stripes yellow, this color gradually changing to orange posterioly; Body below lateral stripe blue; A black spot nearly as large as eye at lower edge of pectoral fin base; Lips orange-red and blackish; Upper and lower edges of caudal fin lavender-pink, the corner hyaline.

Etymology
Labroides: from Latin, labrum = lip + from Latin suffix,-oides = similar to. 
pectoralis: from Latin, pectoralis = chest, pectoral. Referring to large black spot below pectoral-fin base.
Original description: Labroides pectoralis Randall & Springer, 1975 - Type locality: Reef about 1 mile southeast of Auluptagel Island, Palau Islands, Philippine Sea, depth 6-10 feet.

Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Christmas and Cocos-Keeling islands east to Micronesia and New Ireland (Papua New Guinea), north to Philippines and Ogasawara Islands, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.

Biology
Inhabits coral-rich areas of seaward and clear lagoon reefs. Occur solitarily or in pairs. Creates 'cleaning ' stations to which fishes come to have crustacean ectoparasites and mucus removed. Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding. Aquarium fish.

Similar species
  • Aspidontus dussumieri (Valenciennes, 1836) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
  • Aspidontus taeniatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
  • Cheilodipterus parazonatus (Gon, 1993) - Reported from Western Pacific: Indonesia east to New Ireland (Papua New Guinea), south to Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia) and Solomon Islands.
    Coris musume (Jordan & Snyder, 1904) - Reported from Western Pacific: Taiwan north to Japan.
  • Coris picta (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
  • Hologymnosus annulatus (Lacepède, 1801) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
  • Labroides rubrolabiatus (Randall, 1958) - Report from New Caledonia need verification.
  • Larabicus quadrilineatus (Rüppell, 1835) - Reported from Red Sea, northwestern Indian Ocean: Gulf of Aden, Socotra, Persian Gulf.
  • Malacanthus latovittatus (Lacepède, 1801) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
  • Meiacanthus vittatus (Smith-Vaniz, 1976) - Reported from Western Pacific: Papua New Guinea, including New Britain.
  • Plagiotremus rhinorhynchos (Bleeker, 1852) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
  • Plagiotremus tapeinosoma (Bleeker, 1857) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).

Last update: 10, December 2022