Harlequin Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus chaetodonoides)

This fish is found in coral rich areas of clear lagoons and seaward reefs of the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. Adults tend to be solitary and hang out under ledges or caves, while juveniles prefer to live near corals, where they can dart for cover. Both like to feed on crustaceans, mollusks and smaller fishes. When fully grown, they will reach over 2 feet in length.

Most types of Sweetlips have small mouths with large fleshy lips and they usually undergo dramatic color changes as they grow. As you can see in the above two photos, juveniles (right) are brown with large white splotches and adults (left) are more spotted reversing from white to black spots as they age.

We currently have several of these in our Mermaid Aquarium, all of with are still in their juvenile color phases.