TankBud

Divided leopard wrasse

Macropharyngodon bipartitus

Also known as Blue Star Leopard Wrasse, Vermiculate Wrasse, Splendid Leopard Wrasse

SaltwaterFish

Divided leopard wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus)
AM Smith · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
5.1 in
13 cm
Minimum tank
55 gal
208 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Difficult
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Labridae
Origin
Western Indian Ocean reefs, from Zanzibar and Tanzania to Mozambique, Madagascar, the Seychelles, and the Maldives

Overview

The divided leopard wrasse is a shy, peaceful bottom dweller for a mature reef tank. It is best left to experienced keepers.

Did you know

The divided leopard wrasse was once thought to include the fish aquarists called the Red Sea leopard wrasse. In 2013 the Red Sea fish proved different enough to get their own scientific name, Macropharyngodon marisrubri. True bipartitus is found only in the western Indian Ocean, not in the Red Sea at all.

Caring for the divided leopard wrasse

Give the divided leopard wrasse a mature tank of at least 55 gal (208 L). Lay a soft sand bed at least 5 to 7.5 cm deep. It buries itself completely in the sand to sleep at night and whenever it feels threatened. Add plenty of live rock riddled with hiding spots to help it settle in. Keep the lid tight and gap-free, since leopard wrasses are expert jumpers.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Like other leopard wrasses, it is an extremely sensitive feeder. It depends on a steady supply of live copepods and other small invertebrates from an established sand bed and live rock. Offer small, frequent meals of mysis, brine shrimp and other meaty foods alongside whatever it forages.

It is a fish for experienced keepers only, since so many specimens starve or waste away in tanks that are not ready for them. The divided leopard wrasse is peaceful and shy, and it ignores tank mates and corals alike, so it is fully reef safe. It can turn territorial toward other wrasses of similar size and shape.

Males turn a bright neon green and blue in the terminal phase, broken up by black-outlined markings. Females and juveniles are white, mottled with orange, yellow, brown and light blue spots.

Good to know

Macropharyngodon bipartitus is a wrasse of the family Labridae, and it is a protogynous hermaphrodite. Its two sexes look different enough that they are sometimes sold under different names.

In the wild

The divided leopard wrasse is native to the western Indian Ocean. It ranges from Zanzibar and Tanzania south to Mozambique, and out to Madagascar, the Seychelles and the Maldives. It lives on sand flats and rubble down to about 30 m.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The divided leopard wrasse is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the bottom. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a divided leopard wrasse need?

A divided leopard wrasse needs at least 55 gal (208 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a divided leopard wrasse need?

A divided leopard wrasse is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a divided leopard wrasse eat?

A divided leopard wrasse depends on live copepods and other small invertebrates it forages from the sand bed and live rock. Offer it small, frequent meals of mysis, brine shrimp and other meaty foods as well.

How big does a divided leopard wrasse get?

An adult divided leopard wrasse reaches about 5.1 in (13 cm).

How can you tell a male divided leopard wrasse from a female?

Males in the terminal phase are a bright neon green and blue with black-outlined markings. Females and juveniles stay white, mottled with orange, yellow, brown and light blue spots.

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