Six dark bars cross a pale, shifting body that sometimes turns to inspect a passing swimmer.
- Local names
- Po'ou
- Habitat
- Lagoon and reef
About this species
The light body reflects blue-green tones. Six vertical bars change from reddish-brown in the initial colour phase to inky black in the terminal phase. The fish is common in shallow lagoons and near the top of the outer slope, to around 15 m, and may travel in groups.
Its diet includes small fish, bottom-dwelling crustaceans, crustacean larvae and plankton taken near the surface. It can be curious rather than shy when a swimmer approaches its feeding area.
- Guide des poissons de Tahiti et ses îles, Indo-Pacific Fish conference Tahiti 2017, P. Bachet, T. Zysman, Y. Lefèvre, Au vent des îles
- DORIS - Thalassoma hardwicke
- FishBase - Thalassoma hardwicke
