Novaculichthys

Novaculichthys
In Indonesia
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Family: Labridae
Tribe: Novaculini
Genus: Novaculichthys
Bleeker, 1862
Species:
N. taeniourus
Binomial name
Novaculichthys taeniourus
(Lacépède, 1801)
Synonyms
Genus synonymy
Species synonymy
  • Labrus taeniourus Lacépède, 1801
  • Hemipteronotus taeniourus (Lacépède, 1801)
  • Julis bifer Lay & E. T. Bennett, 1839
  • Novaculichthys bifer (Lay & E. T. Bennett, 1839)

Novaculichthys taeniourus, also known as the rockmover wrasse, carpet wrasse, dragon wrasse, bar-cheeked wrasse, olive-scribbled wrasse or reindeer wrasse, is a species of wrasse mainly found in coral reefs and lagoons in the Indo-Pacific region. These include habitats in the Gulf of California to Panama; tropical Pacific Ocean islands including Hawaii; the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia; and the Indian Ocean to the east coast of Africa. The common name, "rockmover wrasse", comes from their behavior of upending small stones and reef fragments in search of prey. This species is the only known member of its genus.