Fish
Ladder Wrasse
Thalassoma trilobatum
A vivid green-and-red reef wrasse of KZN's shallow coral and surge zones, marked with ladder-like body bars.
Also known as christmas wrasse, green moon wrasse, lslipperige, wrasse
- Typical size
- Commonly 15-30 cm
- Habitat
- Shallow coral reef, rubble and surge zones
- Depth
- Around 1-15 m
The ladder wrasse is a slender, active wrasse whose green body is crossed by rows of pink to red bars that form a ladder-like pattern, brightening intensely in dominant males. Like most wrasses it changes sex and colour with age and status, starting as a female before some individuals turn into the larger, more colourful terminal males.
It favours shallow, wave-washed coral reef, rubble and surge channels along the KZN coast, darting among the rocks to pick at crustaceans, molluscs and other small invertebrates. Constantly on the move, it is a common but skittish sight for divers on the northern reefs and, like other wrasses, buries itself in sand to sleep at night.