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Cigar Wrasse
Cheilio inermis (Osbeck, 1765)
A Cigar Wrasse at a depth of 10m, Fly Point, Port Stephens, New South Wales, August 2003. View larger image.
The Cigar Wrasse can be recognised by its long snout and very elongate, cylindrical body.
The colouration of this species is variable, usually mottled brown, green or yellow. Juveniles sometimes have a black stripe along the side of the body. Large adults develop a salmon pink to orange blotch on the side of the body near the tip of the pectoral fin (see lower image).
This species eats a range of foods including molluscs, crustaceans and sea urchins.
It grows to 50cm in length.
The Cigar Wrasse is found on coral reefs down to a depth of 30m, but is most often seen in shallower areas of algae and seagrass.
It occurs in tropical marine waters throughout the Indo-Pacific.
In Australia it is known from the central Western Australian coast, around the tropical north of the country, and south to the central coast of New South Wales.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 557.
