Surge wrasse

Surge wrasse
Male (terminal phase)
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Thalassoma
Species:
T. purpureum
Binomial name
Thalassoma purpureum
(Forsskål, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Scarus purpureus Forsskål, 1775
  • Julis semicoeruleus Rüppell, 1835
  • Thalassoma semicoeruleus (Rüppell, 1835)
  • Julis umbrostygma Rüppell, 1835
  • Thalassoma umbrostygma (Rüppell, 1835)

The surge wrasse (Thalassoma purpureum), also known as the green-blocked wrasse, purple wrasse or red and green wrasse, is a species of wrasse native to the southeast Atlantic Ocean through the Indian and Pacific Oceans, where it inhabits reefs and rocky coastlines in areas of heavy wave action at depths from the surface to 10 m (33 ft). This species is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries, is popular as a game fish, and can be found in the aquarium trade.