Cigar wrasse facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cigar wrasse
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Labrus inermis Forsskål, 1775 Labrus hassek Lacépède, 1801 Cheilio auratus Lacépède, 1802 Cheilio fuscus Lacépède, 1802 Labrus fusiformis Rüppell, 1835 Cheilio cyanochloris Valenciennes, 1839 Cheilio forskalii Valenciennes, 1839 Cheilio hemichrysos Valenciennes, 1839 Cheilio viridis Valenciennes, 1839 Cheilio microstoma Valenciennes, 1839 Cheilio ramosus Jenyns, 1842 Cheilio bicolor Bianconi, 1857 Cheilio udanad Montrouzier, 1857

The cigar wrasse, Cheilio inermis, is a species of wrasse native to the Indo-Pacific. It is mainly found on tropical reefs at depths to 30 m (98 ft) in the Indo-Pacific region, Red Sea included. They inhabit seagrass beds and algae-covered flats, occasionally in lagoon and seaward reefs to a depth of at least 30 m. They are a mostly solitary species. Their diet includes crustaceans, mollusks, sea urchins, and other hard-shelled prey.

Description

A Cheilio inermis.

It grows to an average length of 35 cm (14 in) but can reach up to 50 cm (20 in).

Young individuals are usually a mottled brown or green, sometimes with a broad lateral stripe. Rare individuals may be uniformly yellow. Large males may develop a bright yellow, orange, black, white, or multicolored patch on their sides behind their pectoral fins.

Due to their adult size and diet, they are rarely kept in the aquarium.