Halichoeres scapularis (Bennett 1832)

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 231

Halichoeres scapularis (Bennett 1832) —Zigzag wrasse

Status at New Ireland. New record, based on a specimen in a video of a specimen taken at Manne Island, Kavieng District, 3–25 m depth, St. KR 42, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell); another taken at Alexander Passage, off southeastern New Hanover , at 5–14 m depth, St. KR 96, in 2014.

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2.—General distribution: Red Sea, East Africa, Seychelles, Madagascar and Mascarenes east to New Guinea, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia, Queensland ( Australia), and New Caledonia. Found on sand-rubble bottoms and in seagrass beds near coral reefs, 1–20 m depth. Marine.