Ringtail Maori Wrasse

Adults developing a distinctive black blotch covering the rears of the dorsal and anal fins (Ref. 37816). Display a bright white band over the tail (Ref. 48636). 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).

Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 8 - 11

Occurs inshore (Ref. 75154). Usually solitary in coral rich areas of clear lagoon and seaward reefs. Hovers well above the bottom (Ref. 9710). Feeds mainly on fishes, shrimps and other crustaceans (Ref. 9823).

Usually solitary in coral rich areas of clear lagoon and seaward reefs. Hovers well above the bottom (Ref. 9710, 48636). Young secretive in soft corals and hydrozoans (Ref. 48636). Benthopelagic (Ref. 58302). Feeds mainly on fishes, shrimps and other crustaceans (Ref. 9823). May be ciguatoxic (Ref. 37816).

fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial; price category: very high; price reliability: very questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this family

分布於印度-太平洋區，由聖誕島到夏威夷、馬貴斯及土木土群島，北至台灣及日本，南至Rowley Shoals、新加勒多尼亞及拉帕海域等。台灣各地海域皆有分布。

中大型之隆頭魚，體色鮮豔，是適合水族觀賞的魚類，亦可食用，但有報導(Honebrink, 1990)其肌肉可能含熱帶魚毒素，食用後會引起中毒，特別稱為「熱帶魚毒素中毒(ciguatera poisoning)」。「熱帶魚毒素中毒 」最早來自古巴，當地人是指中了一種名叫「雪卡 (cigua)」 的貝類 (/Livona pica/) 所引起的腸胃不適及神經系統障礙，現已被引用做為食用所有熱帶海域珊瑚礁區有毒魚類所引起的中毒現象。其毒性是因為生物食物鏈所累積的，毒性之大小，通常視魚體之大小而定，且珊

體長卵圓形；頭尖。吻中長，突出；口端位，下頜稍突出；上下頜每側前方具一犬齒，每側具一列圓錐齒，無後犬齒。前鰓蓋骨邊緣具距齒，左右鰓膜癒合，不與峽部相逢。體被大形圓鱗，鰓蓋具 3列鱗；背鰭與臀鰭基部具鞘鱗；側線在背鰭鰭條基部後下方中斷。D. IX, 10；A. III, 8；P. 12；L.l. 15-16+8-9；G.R. 4-5+9-10；背鰭棘膜無缺刻；腹鰭尖形，尾鰭圓形。雌魚體色黄褐至紅褐色，體背部色深，各鱗片具一橫紋；頭部偏緣色，具不規則橙紅色斑點及短紋，眼周圍則呈輻射狀，眼後具二平行縱線至胸鰭基上方；尾柄前具白色橫帶；各鰭紅褐色，腹鰭末端白色。雄魚腹部色淡，眼後縱線之間具白色帶，其餘與雌魚同。

主要棲息於溫暖珊瑚礁區，喜愛獨游在乾淨、清澈且珊瑚生長旺盛的礁湖區，以及向海礁區，深度在1-160公尺。以小魚、小蝦及其它甲殼類生物為食。

Known from seamounts and knolls