Tripletail Maori wrasse
Cheilinus trilobatus
Illustration: Bloom by Day
Olive green with a pink dash in the centre of every scale and a scribble of orange lines across the face, and a pale band around the base of the tail. The name is the tail: the upper and lower rays grow out past a rounded middle on an adult, which makes three lobes and is the quickest way to separate it from the other Maori wrasses.
how to recognise it
- four broad dark bars along a mottled green-brown body
- a curved red line on each scale, making fine vertical lines down the side
- many small red spots and lines on the head
- big males grow three lobes on the tail
don’t confuse with
- Redbreast Maori wrasse — the redbreast has an orange-red chest and whitish bars, and never a three-lobed tail
- Humphead Maori wrasse — the humphead is enormous and has a forehead hump; this one stays under half a metre
Field marks read from Fishes of Australia, 2026-10-13. Our wording, their facts. Max size 45 cm TL.
facts
- habitat
- reef
- size
- ~35 cm, to 45 cm
Max size from Fishes of Australia (45 cm TL); the typical size is Bluebird’s, not from a cited source
- records near here
- 3 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
QLD — Min: 25cm · Limit: 5
source
· verified 2026-10-10
no NSW rule listed — check before you dive
QLD s 23 — closed season 6 November 2026 to 10 November 2026 (20 windows listed)
as regulated coral reef fin fish = any species in Fisheries (General) Regulation 2019, sch 7 pt 2 (tables 1-9) — table 9 (wrasse)
where: coral reef fin fish waters — tidal waters within the boundary from the northern tip of Cape York along latitude 10º41' south ... to latitude 24º50' south, longitude 154º east ... along latitude 24º50' south to the mainland shore
Whether it applies where you dive depends on the spot — open that spot on the map and press “fish here”.
Fisheries Declaration 2019 · Reprint current from 25 September 2026 to date · read 2026-10-13
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.