Gunther's wrasse
Pseudolabrus guentheri
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A green to reddish-brown wrasse with broad orange lines across the face, black marks on the rear of the back and fine white slashes low on the sides. It hunts along rock edges and weed in southern Queensland, alone, and is usually seen head-down picking at something.
how to recognise it
- green through reddish-brown; adults are the greener ones
- broad orange lines on the head
- black markings on the rear of the back and on the tail base
- indistinct broad oblique bands, and fine oblique white stripes low on the sides
- a rounded tail
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-16. Our wording, their facts. Max size 15 cm SL.
facts
- habitat
- rocky
- size
- ~12 cm, to 15 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (15 cm SL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 61 at 2 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
A gap means no record in the sample, not absence.
the rule
no QLD rule listed — check before you dive
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
no closed season recorded for this species — that is not the same as open; check the official page
Rules checked 2026-10-13 against qld.gov.au
Rules change. Check before you dive.
Occurrence data: Atlas of Living Australia (ala.org.au), CC-BY 4.0.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.
Diver transect counts: Reef Life Survey (reeflifesurvey.com), CC-BY 4.0, supplied via ALA.
Target and protected species: Queensland tidal-water size and possession limits (qld.gov.au) and NSW saltwater bag and size limits plus threatened species lists (dpird.nsw.gov.au).
Habitat and size: Bluebird, approximate, from general knowledge. Not cited. FishBase is CC BY-NC and this app is commercial, so it is not used.
Description written for Bloom. RECORDS ARE WHERE SOMEONE LOOKED, NOT WHERE THE FISH ARE. A record count is a count of records near here and nothing else -- it is not abundance, and a species with few records is not rare. Absence of records is not absence of fish.