Kuteri Wrasse – New Caledonia

Macropharyngodon kuiteri

The Macropharyngodon Wrasse would be a perfect candidate for the expert aquarist due to its peaceful behavior, smaller adult size and bright colorations. They can be added into an aquarium in a group as long as they are added at the same time. Like many other wrasses, these have the ability to change sex, so the most dominant fish in the group will become the male. They prefer more established aquariums, so they can hunt small invertebrates in the substrate. It is strongly advised that the aquarium has a tight-fitting lid because they are known to jump out. Their diet should include frozen meaty foods, marine pellets and flakes. On occasion a seaweed strip should be added to add variety to their diet. This wrasse has a high metabolism so they should be fed several small meals rather than two large meals a day. This wrasse displays sexual dimorphism and the male is typically more colorful. The male Kuteri Wrasse has a vibrant patterned body of pink, orange, yellow, red, blue and green which really makes them stand out. They have a small adult size of 4 inches and can be housed in an aquarium of about 50 gallons or larger. The Kuteri Wrasse inhabits inshore areas with mixed sand, rubble and algae in the Western Pacific up to 55 meters deep.