Crimsonband Wrasse

This species grows to ~40 cm, and is like many wrasses, its colour changes over different stages of its life. Juveniles are greenish brown with rows of white spots along the sides. Females are reddish to brownish-orange with rows of white spots along the sides. Males are brightly coloured with red dorsal and anal fins, a red band around the rear of the body, a white caudal peduncle and a yellow caudal fin. The largest male recorded had a standard length of 23 centimetres (9.1 in).

The fish is found in coastal waters of eastern Australia from Hervey Bay, Queensland to Lakes Entrance, Victoria and also in Tasmania. It has also been recorded from Lord Howe Island. They typically favor cooler waters in the region of South Eastern Australia where they are most commonly found. While found in both deep and shallow reefs they typically favor deeper waters. When water temperature increases in their habitat they move to cooler areas within their range. As a result, their populations have declined in shallow reefs and increased in deep inshore reefs as a consequence of global ocean temperatures increasing with climate change.

Males are territorial and will defend a territory against other males. When feeding, small Notolabrus gymnogenis favored ambush hunting to consume amphipods, decapods, and gastropods. Larger individuals prefer to patrol exposed sections of rocky reefs for larger decapods. In addition to solo hunting, they will sometimes utilize multi-species fish foraging associations. They will pair up with an octopus to catch prey flushed out of spaces only the octopus can reach. During this interaction, the fish will not hunt the octopus and will drive away other fish attempting to pair up with the octopus. There is no active cooperation between the two species, rather the fish is following the octopus because it makes more prey available and the octopus does not protest because the fish is not bothering it. Human interference with Notolabrus gymnogenis causes an increase in caution.

Like all fish that inhabit Australia's coastal waters, Notolabrus gymnogenis faces habitat loss from climate change. The Great Barrier Reef has degraded greatly as a consequence of anthropogenic climate change. Since 2016, there have been five major coral bleaching events.