Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Thalassoma lucasanum (Gill, 1862)

arco iris, arco iris de Cortez, Cortez rainbow wrasse, rainbow wrasse

Terminal phase body varies from violet to reddish green; blue dorsal, anal and tail fins. Size: To about 13 cm, terminal-phase males or supermales slightly larger.

Habitat: Common in shallow water throughout the islands, except on the western side of the Archipelago, where they may be entirely absent.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Chordata

Class
Teleostei

Order
Eupercaria incertae sedis

Family
Labridae

Genus
Thalassoma

Species
lucasanum

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Julis lucasanus Gill, 1862, fide Appeltans et al. (2010)

Origin: Native

Status

Least concern

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Eastern Pacific, from Puerto Lobos in the central Gulf of California to Panama, and Cocos, Malpelo and Ecuador in Galapagos Islands, and all the offshore islands except Clipperton.

References

  • Grove, J.S. Lavenberg, R.J. (1997) The Fishes of the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. 862 pp.
  • Humann, P. Deloach, N. (2003) Reef Fish Identification - Galapagos. New World Publication, Inc. Florida USA & Libri Mundi, Quito, Ecuador, 226 pp.
  • Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
  • IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.
  • McCosker, J.E. Rosenblatt, R.H. (2010) The fishes of the Galápagos Archipelago: an update. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sc., Ser. 4, vol. 61, Suppl. II, no. 11: 167-195.
  • Banks, S. Vera, M. & Chiriboga, A. (2009) Establishing Reference Points to Assess Long-Term Change in Zooxanthellate Coral Communities of the Northern Galapagos Coral Reefs. J. Sci. Conserv. in the Galapagos Islands, p. 43-64.
  • Constant, P. (2007) Marine Life of the Galapagos. The Diver's guide to Fishes, Whales, Dolphins and marine Invertebrates, 307 pp.
  • IUCN (2023) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2 Https://www.iucnredlist.org

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Thalassoma lucasanum", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7708. Accessed 13 February 2025.