Black Leopard Wrasse Care Guide
Macropharyngodon negrosensis is a small Indo-Pacific leopard wrasse; females are dark with pale spots and males show an intricate scale pattern. A delicate feeder.
Overview
The black leopard wrasse (Macropharyngodon negrosensis) is a small wrasse of the family Labridae from the Indo-Pacific. Females are blackish with small pale spots, while males are blackish with pale green-edged scales and blackish caudal-fin lobes.
Taxonomy
- Family: Labridae
- Genus: Macropharyngodon
- Scientific name: Macropharyngodon negrosensis
- Described by Herre, 1932
Habitat
The species ranges from the Andaman Sea and Christmas Island to the Philippines and Samoa, north to the Ryukyu Islands and south to northern Australia. It lives on lagoon and seaward reefs with mixed sand and coral substrates.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 250 L
- Temperature: 24-26 °C (75-79 °F)
- pH: 8.1-8.4
- Maximum size: about 12 cm
- Lifespan: 8-15 years
- Fine sand bed for burying
Diet
Macropharyngodon negrosensis is carnivorous and feeds on small benthic animals picked from the substrate. Like other leopard wrasses it is a delicate feeder best kept in a mature tank with live microfauna.
Compatibility
It is a peaceful, diurnal wrasse of the middle water column, found in pairs or loose groups near the bottom and making distinctive up-and-down movements when threatened. Calm tank mates are recommended.
Reef compatibility
Macropharyngodon negrosensis does not harm corals and is considered reef-safe, although it may consume small benthic invertebrates and the microfauna it depends on for food. Specific gravity 1.024-1.026, carbonate hardness 8-12 dKH.
Conservation status
The IUCN Red List assesses Macropharyngodon negrosensis as Least Concern. Juveniles are dispersed away from breeding ranges by ocean currents.