Habitat 
Depth 
Group 
Role WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
The adult harlequin sweetlips combines a substantial body, fleshy lips and brown spots on a pale background. Young fish have a very different pattern, with broad pale markings on a brown background. Identification should therefore relate the markings to developmental stage and also consider the shape of the head and body.WHERE DOES IT LIVE?
On tropical Indo-Pacific reefs, adults are often encountered by day beneath ledges, in cavities or under large coral structures. Habitat structure is a resource: it provides shelter and shapes the available space. Observing one fish can therefore lead us to see the reef as a collection of habitats.WHAT DOES IT EAT?
Its nocturnal diet includes molluscs, crustaceans and small fish. This connects different parts of the reef to its predation network. It also highlights the limits of visiting only by day: a fish resting in a shelter is not necessarily inactive at other times.GO FURTHER WITH AMIGANSEAU
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