Moon wrasse
Thalassoma lunare
Illustration: Bloom by Day
A green-blue wrasse ruled with fine red lines, with pink scribbles across the face and a big yellow crescent set in the tail — the moon it is named for. It never stops moving, zig-zagging over the reef at speed and turning up wherever anything has been disturbed.
how to recognise it
- body dark green to blue with vertical red to purplish-red lines
- head green to blue with irregular pink to violet bands
- a large yellow crescent in the rear of the tail — the moon this is named for
- blue pectoral fins with a large elongate pink area toward the tip
- large males turn blue on the head, grading to green toward the tail
Field marks read from FishBase, 2026-10-16. Our wording, their facts. Max size 45.0 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~20 cm, to 45 cm
Max size from FishBase (45.0 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 11 at 1 of 6 spots
A count of occurrence records near these spots, not abundance. Records are where someone looked.
when it has been recorded
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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.