Bluestreak cleaner wrasse

Labroides dimidiatus · The bluestreak cleaner wrasse is a small fish that lives on coral reefs from Eastern Africa and the Red Sea to French Polynesia and eats parasites off larger fishes.

Also called Blue-streak cleaner wrasse, Blue diesel wrasse, Bluestreak cleanerfish.

Taxonomy

Where it lives

Tropical coral reefs from the Red Sea and East Africa across the Indian Ocean to Japan, Fiji and French Polynesia.

Fun facts

• This little fish may have passed the mirror test, which is rare in the animal world.
• When clients approach a cleaning station, cleaner wrasses greet them with a dance-like motion, moving their rear up and down.
• Big fish recognise cleaner wrasses by the stripe along their bodies and by the way they move.
• A sneaky blenny copies the cleaner wrasse but tears bits of flesh or skin from bigger fish instead of cleaning them.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).