Anampses lineatus (Lined Tamarin Wrasse) Breeding Guide

Anampses lineatus is a small, deep-dwelling Indian Ocean tamarin wrasse with marked sexual dichromatism. As a labrid it broadcast-spawns pelagic eggs and is not bred in home aquaria.

Overview

Anampses lineatus, the Lined Tamarin Wrasse, is a labrid of the Indo-West Pacific, recorded from the Red Sea south to Natal, South Africa and east to Bali, Indonesia. FishBase gives a maximum total length of 13 cm, in lagoon and seaward reefs usually deeper than 20 m to at least 42 m. FishBase classifies it as oviparous with distinct pairing during breeding.

Sexing

The species shows sexual dichromatism. FishBase distinguishes females by a white versus yellow band at the base of the tail and males by a lined versus spotted body pattern. As family Labridae is predominantly protogynous, functional sex follows social rank, so reliable pairing cannot be guaranteed at the point of purchase.

Conditioning

Like other Anampses, this species feeds on small benthic invertebrates and, once established, takes frequent meaty feeds such as copepods, brine shrimp and mysis. Maintaining condition depends on a mature reef with live food and a sand bed. No conditioning protocol leading to captive spawning has been published.

Breeding Setup

No aquarium breeding setup exists. The fish needs a soft sand bed for refuge and overnight rest and a mature reef supplying live micro-invertebrate food. It naturally occupies deeper reef zones and spawns over open substrate rather than at a fixed nest site.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

As a labrid, A. lineatus broadcast-spawns pelagic eggs into the water column with no parental care, and FishBase records distinct pairing during breeding. The triggers are reef-scale environmental cues rather than tank parameters, so spontaneous spawning is not expected in captivity.

Egg & Fry Care

Eggs and the resulting larvae are pelagic, drifting in the plankton until settlement. The very small first-feeding larval stages cannot be reared in home aquaria, which is the central reason the species is not captive-bred.

Common Challenges

Fragility on import, an obligatory sand bed, a need for a mature reef with live food, broadcast pelagic spawning and protogynous social biology together make purposeful breeding impractical and reserve the species for experienced aquarists.