Napoleon Wrasse
Cheilinus undulatus
Sighting evidence at Bar Reef, Kalpitiya
Photo: David Roche · CC BY-NC
Several large humphead wrasse — some exceeding 1.5 m — use Bar Reef's deeper bommies as home ranges, patrolling the reef edge in a slow, deliberate circuit. As long-lived predators of sea urchins, molluscs, and crustaceans, they serve a crucial reef-maintenance function and their presence indicates an ecologically intact system. The Kalpitiya population is one of the few in Sri Lankan waters where regular encounters are reliably reported by dive operators.
Evidence at this site
No confirmed records on file at this site
Napoleon Wrasse is listed as a curated species here based on historical reports.