Marine life  /  Other fish  /  Blue blanquillo
Reviewed 2026-09-06
Species entry

Blue blanquillo

Malacanthus latovittatus

A long blue fish that cruises just above open sand, and a juvenile that mimics a cleaner wrasse.

Size
To 45 cm
Depth
5–40 m
Habitat
Open sand and rubble
Active
Daylight
Range
Indo-Pacific
Rarity
Lembeh Strait
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
SP-01
blue blanquillo · full body · habitat
4:3 · min 2400px

Adults reach about 45 cm, pale blue-grey with a darker head and a black blotch on the tail. Juveniles are entirely different: white with a broad black stripe from snout to tail, closely resembling the cleaner wrasse, and they swim with the same jerking motion. The resemblance appears to buy them approach to larger fish, though the juvenile is not a cleaner.

Adults cruise a metre or two above open sand and rubble in pairs, feeding on small invertebrates and fish, and retreat into a rubble burrow when pressed. They keep moving and maintain distance, so they are more often logged than photographed. Recorded from about 5 to 45 m.

Where to find:

LocationRarity Best monthsDepthHabitat
Lembeh Strait Indonesia editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–40 m
Open sand and rubble
Bali Indonesia editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–45 m
Sand and rubble slopes
Anilao Philippines editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–40 m
Open sand and rubble
Dauin & Dumaguete Philippines editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–35 m
Sand and rubble
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea editorial estimate
2 stars of 5, usually seen in a week
Year-round
5–45 m
Sand and rubble

Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.

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