Stethojulis strigiventer (Bennett 1833) —Three-ribbon wrasse

Status at New Ireland. New record; previously misidentified from New Hanover as Platyglossus trilineatus (non Bloch & Schneider, 1801) by Peters (1877: 843); reported as Halichoeres timorensis (non Bleeker, 1852) by Munro (1958: 237); a video of a specimen taken in Albatross Passage, southwestern Kavieng District, at 3–13 m depth, St. KD83, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell).

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2.—General distribution: East Africa, Madagascar and Mascarenes east to Marshall, Tuamotu and Gambier islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island, Tonga and Austral Islands. Found in seagrass beds and areas of mixed sand, rubble, and algae of inner coral reef flats and shallow lagoons, 1–15 m depth. Marine.