Macropharyngodon meleagris (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1839)

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 : 234

Macropharyngodon meleagris (Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes 1839) —Vermiculated wrasse

Status at New Ireland. New record, based on specimens photographed on 2–3 June 2013 during ACIAR Aquarium Survey at Kavieng (see Teitelbaum et al. 2013: 15); a video of a specimen taken in Senta Pass, east of New Hanover at 5–12 m depth, St. KR 114, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell).

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2.—General distribution: Cocos-Keeling and Christmas islands (eastern Indian Ocean) and Indonesia east to Line and Tuamotu islands, north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands, south to northern Australia and Lord Howe Island. Solitary or in small groups, on coral rubble bottom near coral reefs, 0–30 m depth. Marine.