All fish / Labridae

Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon meleagris

Also known as leopard wrasse, blackspotted wrasse, guinea fowl wrasse, eclipse leopard wrasse, meleagris leopard wrasse, choat's wrasse, yes, ノドグロベラ, 珠斑大咽齿鱼, 豹纹龙

A slim wrasse covered in dark spots on a pale green or cream background; females and juveniles show a leopard-like pattern while males develop orange-edged markings with green lines. Reef keepers value it for its striking pattern and because it is generally safe with corals while picking at pests and small invertebrates in live rock.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

12 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Singly, or one male with females in a large tank

Diet

Carnivore: small crustaceans and worms such as copepods, amphipods, mysis, enriched brine shrimp and finely chopped seafood, fed several times a day

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western and central Pacific, from Cocos-Keeling and Indonesia to Japan, Australia and Polynesia

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, with females able to change into males, and pairs spawn in the water column releasing pelagic eggs. Captive breeding is very rare and the larvae are hard to rear, so almost all specimens are wild caught.

Good to know

Needs a deep fine sand bed of at least 5 cm to bury in at night and a mature tank with plenty of live rock and natural food; many starve after shipping, so buy only fish already eating. It may eat small shrimps, snails and other tiny invertebrates.