Fivestripe wrasse

Reportedly uncommon to rare in Hawaii, the fivestripe wrasse is a regular visitor to Mahukona.  A single individual will show up in the shallow, surgey area that regulars refer to as the first point, remain in the area for a few weeks, and then disappear.  I hadn’t seen any fivestripes for several months until one appeared a  couple of weeks ago.  These fish, like many other wrasses, are extremely active and, while not particularly difficult to approach, do not often stay put long enough for a good photo.  They occasionally interbreed with the closely related and much more common saddle wrasse.

I don’t know where the name fivestripe comes from.

Male fivestripe wrasse displaying courtship coloration

The ubiquitous saddle wrasse.  It’s pretty apparent that this fish is closely related to the fivestripe.