Harlequin sweetlips

Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides

Scientific name

Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides

Group

Reef fish

Rarity

Common

Where to see it

Indo-Pacific & Red Sea

Conservation status (IUCN)

Least concern

Did you know?

The harlequin sweetlips transforms dramatically as it grows: juveniles swim erratically, mimicking a toxic flatworm to fool predators, before settling into the far more understated polka-dot pattern of the adult.

What defines this group — Reef fish

The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.

• A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
• A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
• Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.

Other species in this group

• Ocellaris clownfish
• Blue tang
• Red lionfish
• Spot-fin porcupinefish
• Mediterranean moray
• Clark's anemonefish