Sixbar Wrasse in Jervis Bay

The last journal post was about an observation of Orangespotted Glidergobies in Jervis Bay.

This post features another observation made in Jervis Bay. This time the observer is Henrick Michael and the fish is a juvenile Sixbar Wrasse, Thalassoma hardwicke.

The 'official' distribution of the Sixbar Wrasse reaches south to Sydney on the east coast. Henrick's observation was made about 140km south of Sydney.

Henrick stated, "The juvenile Sixbar wrasse was foraging along the surge zone with a few other Thalassoma species, and initially I thought it to be a juvenile parrot fish, but on closer examination I noticed subtle red stripes and an ocellus. It was somewhat difficult to photograph as there was a strong southerly current pushing against the rocky reef that day. After some time, the small wrasse dove into a sand gutter under a cluster of long-spined urchins, presumably for some safety. It was definitely unexpected to encounter one!"

As many of you would know, identifying juvenile wrasses can be challenging. Thank you to Rudie Kuiter for confirming the identification of this juvenile fish.