New 🐟 Mercury Safety Guide & Omega-3 Rankings Updated for 2026. View Omega-3 Rankings →

🌊 Marine Least Concern ⚡ Reports of ciguatera poisoning 🌡️ Tropical

Ringtail maori wrasse

Oxycheilinus unifasciatus Streets, 1877
Max Length
46 cm
Max Weight
1.4 kg
Lifespan
-
Trophic Level
4.1
Depth
0–160 m
Climate
Tropical
Resilience
Medium
Vulnerability
40.00/100
Typical Length
-
Depth Zone
reef

📖 Overview

Usually solitary in coral rich areas of clear lagoon and seaward reefs. Hovers well above the bottom . Young secretive in soft corals and hydrozoans . Benthopelagic . Feeds mainly on fishes, shrimps and other crustaceans . May be ciguatoxic . Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128797.

Scientific Name
Oxycheilinus unifasciatus
Authority
Streets, 1877
Habitat
Marine
Climate
Tropical
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
IUCN Status
LC
Max Length
46 cm
Max Weight
1.4 kg
Depth Range
0–160 m
Latitude
30°S – 30°N
Trophic Level
4.1
Resilience
Medium
Vulnerability
40.00/100
Salinity
30–40 ppt

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8 - 11. Adults developing a distinctive black blotch covering the rears of the dorsal and anal fins . Display a bright white band over the tail . White bar often present on caudal peduncle (this pattern very changeable). Red lines radiating posteriorly from eye continuous across opercle to posterior opercular edge. Membranes of spinous portion of dorsal fin smooth, not incised (Ref 9823).: fusiform / normal; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Ringtail maori wrasse is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

small fish
crustaceans
cephalopods

🥚 Reproduction

🐣 Oviparous

Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 160 m . Tropical; 30°N - 30°S north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Rowley Shoals in northwestern Australia, New Caledonia, and Rapa.

🌿 Ecology

Zone Preferences
🌊 Marine 🪸 Reef Associated
Trophic Level
4.1±0.7
🧍 Solitary
Food Items

fishes, shrimps and other crustaceans (Ref

📐 Morphometrics

Length–Weight Relationship: W = 0.01549 × L2.95 (TL)
Max TL
46cm
Max Weight
1,400g
Dorsal Spines
9
Dorsal Rays
10
Anal Spines
3
Anal Rays
10

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

Salinity Range
30–40ppt

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

IUCN Category
Least Concern
Assessment Date
2008

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

Population Resilience
Medium
Minimum doubling time
Fishing Vulnerability
40.00/100
Moderate vulnerability
Trophic Level
4.1
Apex / Top predator
Body Shape
Fusiform / normal
Climate Zone
Tropical
Latitude Range
30°N – 30°S
Described By
Streets, 1877

🌐 Names & Taxonomy

Language Common Names
🇬🇧English Ringtail maori wrasse · ringtail wrasse · Rosecolored wrasse · Tail-band maori wrasse · Whiteband maori wrasse
🇫🇷French Labre à anneau blanc
🇯🇵Japanese Hitosuji-mochino-uo · Hitosujimochinouo · ヒトスジモチノウオ
🌍TAH papae, parahirahi

Scientific Synonyms

Scientific Name Author Year Status
Cheilenus unifasciatus Streets 1877 Synonym
Cheilinus cingulatus Weber 1913 Synonym
Cheilinus hexagonatus Günther 1881 Synonym
Cheilinus polygramma Valenciennes 1840 Synonym
Cheilinus unifasciatus Streets 1877 Synonym
Cheilinus zonurus Jenkins 1901 Synonym
Chilinus hexagonatus Günther 1881 Synonym

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 1 records indexed .

Occurrence density from GBIF View GBIF records ↗

👥 Community & Contribute

Aquareap Community Observations
0 Observations logged on Aquareap

No observations yet - be the first to log one!

View all observations for Ringtail maori wrasse ↗
Suggest an Edit

Spotted incorrect or outdated data? Submit a correction and our editorial team will review it. Approved edits go live within 48 hours.

Link to a scientific paper, FishBase, or other authoritative source
Report an Issue

Found a factual error, broken data, or inappropriate content? Let us know and we will investigate promptly.