Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon meleagris

Also known as Guinea Fowl Wrasse, Blackspotted Wrasse, Meleagris Leopard Wrasse

SaltwaterFish

Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris) — Mark Rosenstein · CC BY 3.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–79°F (22–26°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 5.9 in (15 cm)
Minimum tank: 90 gal (340 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Difficult
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Indo-Pacific reefs, from the Cocos-Keeling Islands to the western Pacific and the islands of Oceania
Family: Labridae

Overview

Peaceful and shy, easily pushed away from food by bolder tankmates, so it does best in a calm community and, where the tank allows it, in a group of three or more introduced together. It is fully reef safe and never touches corals or clams. The catch is diet: this wrasse feeds almost entirely on live copepods and other tiny invertebrates picked out of sand and rock, and a newly imported fish dropped into an immature tank will often starve within weeks even with regular feedings, which is why it is rated for experienced keepers only.

In the wild

Found across the Indo-Pacific from the Cocos-Keeling Islands through the western Pacific to the islands of Oceania, on sand and rubble flats next to reefs at roughly 0–30 m, occasionally deeper. It needs a mature, well established aquarium of at least 340 litres (90 gallons) with a fine sand bed at least 5 cm deep, since it dives into the sand every night to sleep and whenever it feels threatened. Only add this fish to a tank old enough to be carrying a healthy natural population of copepods and other tiny invertebrates, and keep the lid tight and gap-free, since it can and will jump.

Good to know

Macropharyngodon meleagris is a protogynous hermaphrodite, and the dominant female in a group will change into a male if needed. The sexes look strikingly different: females are white with irregular black or brown spots, echoing the guinea fowl feather pattern that gives the fish its other common name, while males turn an orange-red mottled with green. Adults max out around 15 cm.

Did you know

Because it depends so heavily on live pods and other natural foods, a leopard wrasse is really a referendum on how established the tank already is: the same fish that wastes away in a new setup can thrive for years in an aquarium with a mature sand bed and live rock doing the feeding for it.