Wrasses are colorful members of reef and sand flat communities.  They are active during the day, feeding upon a variety of small animals, detritus, and small amounts of algae, and sleep buried in sand or deep within the reef at night.  They swim by flapping the pectoral fins.  Wrasses can be difficult to identify without some experience, complicated by color differences exhibited by fish in different stages of growth.  All species are born female and usually go through one or two juvenile color phases before adulthood, which is known as the initial phase.  Under the right circumstances a female can transform, irreversibly, into a male with a very different color pattern, referred to as a terminal or supermale.  Many wrasses live as harems with several females tended by a supermale, however some imposter males may retain female coloration to compete with the supermale.  Of 45 species recorded from Hawai'i, 15 are found nowhere else.  Hawaiians referred to many of these as hīnālea or hilu.  Only the Hawaiian Hogfish and Razorfishes are eaten on a regular basis.

Coris flavovittata 

YELLOWSTRIPE CORIS, juvenile

Coris flavovittata 

YELLOWSTRIPE CORIS, female

Coris flavovittata 

YELLOWSTRIPE CORIS, male

Coris ballieui  

LINED CORIS, male

Coris venusta   

ELEGANT CORIS, juvenile

Macropharyngodon geoffroy

SHORTNOSED WRASSE, juvenile

Coris venusta   

ELEGANT CORIS, female

Macropharyngodon geoffroy

SHORTNOSED WRASSE, female

ELEGANT CORIS, male

Macropharyngodon geoffroy

SHORTNOSED WRASSE, male

Anampses chrysocephalus 

PSYCHEDELIC WRASSE, juvenile

Stethojulis balteata  

BELTED WRASSE, juvenile

Anampses chrysocephalus 

PSYCHEDELIC WRASSE, female

Stethojulis balteata  

BELTED WRASSE, female

Anampses chrysocephalus 

PSYCHEDELIC WRASSE, male

BELTED WRASSE, male

HAWAIIAN CLEANER WRASSE, juvenile

HAWAIIAN CLEANER WRASSE, adult

Thalassoma duperrey x T. quinquevittatum

HYBRID SADDLE x FIVESTRIPE WRASSE 

Thalassoma duperrey x T. quinquevittatum

HYBRID SADDLE x FIVESTRIPE WRASSE 

Thalassoma duperrey x T. lutescens

BLACKTAIL or OLD WOMAN WRASSE, juvenile

Thalassoma duperrey

SADDLE WRASSE, juvenile

BLACKTAIL or OLD WOMAN WRASSE, female

Thalassoma duperrey

SADDLE WRASSE, female

BLACKTAIL or OLD WOMAN WRASSE, male

Thalassoma duperrey

SADDLE WRASSE, male

Pseudojuloides cerasinus

SMALLTAIL or PENCIL WRASSE, male

Cirrhilabrus jordani 

FLAME WRASSE, female

HAWAIIAN HOGFISH, juvenile

HAWAIIAN HOGFISH, subadult

HAWAIIAN HOGFISH, female

HAWAIIAN HOGFISH, male

 Bodianus bathycapros 

HAWAIIAN PIGFISH

PEARL WRASSE, female

Anampses cuvier 

PEARL WRASSE, male

Cymolutes lecluse 

HAWAIIAN KNIFEFISH, female

Cymolutes lecluse

HAWAIIAN KNIFEFISH, male

Iniistius umbrilatus 

BLACKBAR RAZORFISH

YELLOWTAIL CORIS, juvenile

ORNATE WRASSE, juvenile

YELLOWTAIL CORIS, female

ORNATE WRASSE, female

YELLOWTAIL CORIS, male

ORNATE WRASSE, male

CHRISTMAS WRASSE, female

CHRISTMAS WRASSE, male

SURGE WRASSE, female

SURGE WRASSE, male

FIVESTRIPE WRASSE, female

FIVESTRIPE WRASSE, nuptial male

SUNSET WRASSE, male

CHINSTRAP or DISAPPEARING WRASSE

Polylepion russelli

YELLOWSTRIPED HOGFISH

BIRD WRASSE, female

BIRD WRASSE, male

CIGAR WRASSE, yellow female

CIGAR WRASSE, male

ROCKMOVER WRASSE, juvenile

ROCKMOVER WRASSE, adult

RINGTAIL WRASSE, female

RINGTAIL WRASSE, male

TWOSPOT  WRASSE, female

TWOSPOT  WRASSE, male

SLINGJAW  WRASSE, juvenile

SLINGJAW  WRASSE, male

WOOD'S RAZORFISH

 Iniistius celebicus

BRONZESPOT RAZORFISH, female

PEACOCK RAZORFISH, juvenile

PEACOCK RAZORFISH, juvenile

PEACOCK RAZORFISH, black morph

PEACOCK RAZORFISH, adult

WHITEPATCH RAZORFISH, juvenile

WHITEPATCH RAZORFISH, female

SIXBAR WRASSE, female

SIXBAR WRASSE, male

CLOWN CORIS, juvenile

CLOWN CORIS, female

PASTEL RINGWRASSE, juvenile

PASTEL RINGWRASSE, subadult

PASTEL RINGWRASSE, adult

SIXLINE WRASSE

BICOLOR CLEANER WRASSE, juv

BICOLOR CLEANER WRASSE, adult

REDLIP CLEANER WRASSE

BLACKSPOT CLEANER WRASSE

BLUESTRIPE CLEANER WRASSE, juv.

BLUESTRIPE CLEANER WRASSE

BLUESTRIPE CLEANER WRASSE, orange

BLUESTRIPE CLEANER WRASSE, yellow

BATU CORIS

PASTEL-GREEN WRASSE, juvenile

CHECKERED WRASSE, juvenile

PASTEL-GREEN WRASSE, female

CHECKERED WRASSE, female

PASTEL-GREEN WRASSE, male

CHECKERED WRASSE, male

THREESPOT WRASSE, female

THREESPOT WRASSE, male

RICHMOND'S WRASSE, male

TAILSPOT WRASSE, female

TAILSPOT WRASSE, male

CHAINSPOT WRASSE, female

CHAINSPOT WRASSE, male

RED-LINED WRASSE, female

RED-LINED WRASSE, male

ARGUS WRASSE, male

WEEDY SURGE WRASSE, male

CHISELTOOTH WRASSE

NEBULOUS or CLOUD WRASSE, male

TWO-TONE WRASSE, juvenile

TWO-TONE WRASSE, adult

CANARY WRASSE

NEW GUINEA WRASSE, male

YELLOWTAIL WRASSE, female

REDFIN HOGFISH

AXILSPOT HOGFISH

SPLITLEVEL HOGFISH

LYRETAIL HOGFISH, juvenile

LYRETAIL HOGFISH

SOUTHERN TUBELIP

POLYNESIAN TUBELIP

TUBELIP WRASSE, Juvenile

TUBELIP WRASSE

LATENT SLINGJAW WRASSE

LATENT SLINGJAW WRASSE

SLINGJAW WRASSE, yellow morph

SLINGJAW WRASSE, female

SLINGJAW WRASSE, male

THREE-LINED WRASSE

HUMPHEAD WRASSE, juvenile

HUMPHEAD WRASSE

ANCHOR TUSKFISH, juvenile

ANCHOR TUSKFISH

CHEEKLINED WRASSE, juvenile

CHEEKLINED WRASSE

SULAWESI WRASSE

REDBREASTED WRASSE, juvenile

REDBREASTED WRASSE

FLORAL WRASSE

TRIPLETAIL WRASSE

HALF-AND-HALF THICKLIP, juvenile

HALF-AND-HALF THICKLIP

HALF-AND-HALF THICKLIP

BARRED THICKLIP

HARLEQUIN TUSKFISH

ORANGEFIN WRASSE, Juvenile

FIJI DOTTED FAIRY WRASSE, female

FIJI DOTTED FAIRY WRASSE, male

FIJI DOTTED FAIRY WRASSE, juv

WHITE-BARRED or MYSTERY WRASSE

BLUESIDE FAIRY WRASSE

YELLOWSIDE FAIRY WRASSE

KATHERINE'S FAIRY WRASSE

REDBACK FAIRY WRASSE

ORANGE-BACK FAIRY WRASSE, male

EXQUISITE FAIRY WRASSE, juv

RUBY-HEAD FAIRY WRASSE, female

RUBY-HEAD FAIRY WRASSE, male

SOLOR FAIRY WRASSE, male

CHIN-STRAP FAIRY WRASSE, male

THREADFIN FAIRY WRASSE, female

THREADFIN FAIRY WRASSE, male

LEOPARD WRASSE, juv

LEOPARD WRASSE

QUEEN CORIS, female

SPOT-TAIL CORIS, male

YELLOWFIN FLASHER WRASSE, female

GOLDBAR WRASSE, male

Kyuusen, female

Kyuusen, male

BLEEKER'S WRASSE, juvenile

BLEEKER'S WRASSE, male

Ohaguro-bera, female

Ohaguro-bera, male

SCARBREAST TUSKFISH, female

SCARBREAST TUSKFISH, male

Kaminari-bera, female

Kaminari-bera, male

CUPID WRASSE    Nishiki-bera

Sasanoha-bera, male

MEXICAN HOGFISH, female

MEXICAN HOGFISH, male

WOUNDED WRASSE, juvenile

SPINSTER WRASSE, juvenile

CORTEZ RAINBOW WRASSE, female

CORTEZ RAINBOW WRASSE, male

ROCK WRASSE, female

ROCK WRASSE, male

SENORITA

CALIFORNIA SHEEPHEAD, juvenile

CALIFORNIA SHEEPHEAD, female

CALIFORNIA SHEEPHEAD, male

BLUEHEAD WRASSE, female

BLUEHEAD WRASSE, male

SLIPPERY DICK WRASSE, female

SLIPPERY DICK WRASSE, female

BLACKEAR WRASSE, female

BLACKEAR WRASSE, male

CLOWN WRASSE, female

CLOWN WRASSE, male

Halichoeres garnoti

YELLOWHEAD WRASSE, juvenile

Halichoeres garnoti

YELLOWHEAD WRASSE, male

PUDDINGWIFE WRASSE

CREOLE WRASSE

SPANISH HOGFISH, juvenile

SPANISH HOGFISH

HOGFISH, female

HOGFISH, male

ROSY RAZORFISH, female

GREEN RAZORFISH, juvenile