The spotty or paketi, ''Notolabrus celidotus'', is a species of wrasse endemic to the waters around New Zealand, including

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

and the surrounding areas. It can be found on reefs at depths from , though most common in shallower parts of that range. This species can reach in

standard length Fish measurement is the measuring of individual fish and various parts of their anatomies. These data are used in many areas of ichthyology, including taxonomy and fisheries biology. Overall length * Standard length (SL) is the length of a fish m ...

. Like other wrasses, spotties begin life as females. Once they reach a length of 13–19 cm at the age of 3–4 years, some of the largest fish may turn into males. Male spotties stake out territories in which they maintain a harem of roughly 20 females that they aggressively defend from other males. When a male dies, the dominant female in the harem will change sex over a few days and take over control of both the harem and territory. This social structure keeps the sex ratio strongly biased towards females. Spawning usually occurs from late July to the end of October.Francis, Malcolm. The Ubiquitous Spotty
The Ubiquitous Spotty
Friends of Toputeranga Marine Reserve. Retrieved on 13 November 2015

References

Spotty (fish) The spotty or paketi, ''Notolabrus celidotus'', is a species of wrasse endemic to the waters around New Zealand, including Stewart Island and the surrounding areas. It can be found on reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or si ...

Endemic marine fish of New Zealand Fish described in 1801 Labridae {{Labridae-stub