Electric blue in shallow rubble; the male carries an orange tail, the female does not.
To about 8 cm and a strong electric blue. Males in this region have an orange-yellow tail and often orange on the snout and pelvic fins; females and juveniles are entirely blue with a small dark spot at the rear base of the dorsal fin. The colour of the male’s tail varies by region, which is a common source of confusion when working from a guide covering the whole Indo-Pacific.
It occupies shallow rubble, reef flats and coral heads in the top few metres, feeding on algae and small crustaceans, and holds a small territory among rubble it can drop into. Groups are usually one male and several females. It is abundant on the shallow sections of muck sites and is one of the first fish encountered on entry. Recorded from the shallows to about 12 m.
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.