Halichoeres melanochir Fowler & Bean 1928

Andréfouët, Serge, Chen, Wei-Jen, Kinch, Jeff, Mana, Ralph, Russell, Barry C., Tully, Dean & White, William T., 2019, Checklist of the marine and estuarine fishes of New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea, western Pacific Ocean, with 810 new records, Zootaxa 4588 (1), pp. 1-360 : 229-230

Halichoeres melanochir Fowler & Bean 1928 —Orangefin wrasse

Status at New Ireland. New record, based on a video of a specimen taken at northwestern Manne Island, Kavieng District, at 3–12 m depth, St. KR14, in 2014 (identified by Barry C. Russell); another taken from Senta Passage, off eastern New Hanover, 5–16 m depth, at St. KR118, in 2014.

Distribution and habitat. New Ireland: 1, 2.—General distribution: Indonesia east to Philippines and New Guinea, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia. Found on sand-rubble bottoms near coral reefs, 5–25 m depth. Marine.