Blue Star Leopard Wrasse

The Blue Star Leopard Wrasse is widely considered one of the most spectacularly colored fish available in the marine aquarium hobby. Males display an extraordinary pattern of electric blue spots and vermiculate markings across a dark greenish-black body, with bright orange and blue facial markings that create a truly mesmerizing display. Females are no less stunning, featuring a black to dark brown body adorned with white spots and a distinctive yellowish posterior half, giving rise to the species name bipartitus, meaning divided into two parts.

In the wild, Macropharyngodon bipartitus is found exclusively in the Western Indian Ocean, from the coast of East Africa to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It inhabits sandy rubble zones adjacent to coral reefs at relatively shallow depths of 5 to 25 meters, where it methodically forages for tiny benthic invertebrates, foraminifera, and small gastropods by sifting through the substrate with its characteristic nose-down posture.

The Blue Star Leopard Wrasse is an advanced-level species that presents significant challenges in captivity. Like its close relative the Leopard Wrasse, it has highly specialized feeding requirements and may refuse prepared foods for weeks after introduction. A mature reef aquarium with an established refugium producing live copepods, amphipods, and other microfauna is essential for success. A deep sand bed of at least 3 inches is required, as this species buries itself in the sand to sleep each night. Despite the difficulty, successfully maintaining this species rewards the dedicated aquarist with one of the most breathtaking fish in the hobby.