The Common Cleaner Wrasse is a small, slender wrasse that spends its life picking parasites, dead skin, and algae from larger reef fish. Adults typically reach 10–14 cm and are recognizable by their distinctive two-tone colouration: bright blue or purple on the head and front body, shifting to yellow or orange towards the tail. Found on coral and rocky reefs across the Indo-Pacific, usually in shallow waters under 20 m, cleaner wrasses establish feeding territories where client fish queue up for grooming sessions. Their relationship with other reef dwellers demonstrates one of the ocean's clearest examples of mutualism.
Most likely to be seen at
Sites where its range and habitat make it likely — not yet confirmed by a logged sighting.