axillaris, Labrus Bennett [E. T.] 1832:166 [Proceedings of the Committee of Science and Correspondence of the Zoological Society of London 1830-31 (pt 1); ref. 4944] Mauritius, Mascarenes, southwestern Indian Ocean. Holotype (unique): BMNH 1856.2.15.13 [ex Zool. Soc.]. •Valid as Bodianus axillaris (Bennett 1832) -- (Dor 1984:196 [ref. 29757], Yamakawa in Masuda et al. 1984:203 [ref. 6441], Randall 1986:687 [ref. 5706], Allen & Swainston 1988:112 [ref. 25477], Winterbottom et al. 1989:51 [ref. 13251], Randall et al. 1990:298 [ref. 15987], Kuiter 1993:269 [ref. 23929], Francis 1993:164 [ref. 25479], Goren & Dor 1994:53 [ref. 25356], Allen 1997:178 [ref. 23977], Kuiter 1997:270 [ref. 25488], Randall et al. 1997:298 [ref. 25919], Myers 1999:188 [ref. 23965], Fricke 1999:395 [ref. 24106], Randall 1999:21 [ref. 25829], Allen 2000:90 [ref. 37268], Parenti & Randall 2000:5 [ref. 24943], Westneat in Randall & Lim 2000:627 [ref. 25122], Nakabo 2000:974 [ref. 25182], Laboute & Grandperrin 2000:350 [ref. 25191], Randall & Earle 2000:17 [ref. 25806], Allen 2000:111 [ref. 25868], Hutchins 2001:268 [ref. 25841], Hutchins 2001:38 [ref. 25847], Westneat 2001:3408 [ref. 26277] dated 1831, Nakabo 2002:974 [ref. 26193], Allen & Adrim 2003:48 [ref. 26830], Manilo & Bogorodsky 2003:S114 [ref. 27377], Myers & Donaldson 2003:633 [ref. 27495] dated 1831, Randall et al. 2004:21 [ref. 27624], Adrim et al. 2004:124 [ref. 27715], Heemstra et al. 2004:3325 [ref. 27945], Heemstra & Heemstra 2004:338 [ref. 28072], Randall 2005:392 [ref. 28239], Gomon 2006:64 [ref. 28730], Allen et al. 2006:1373 [ref. 29095], Fricke et al. 2009:83 [ref. 30213], Motomura et al. 2010:160 [ref. 31256], Kuiter 2010:42 [ref. 35285], Allen & Erdmann 2012:636 [ref. 31980], Fricke et al. 2013:265 [ref. 32706], Fricke et al. 2014:126 [ref. 33932], Delrieu-Trottin et al. 2015:7 [ref. 33988] dated as 1831, Koeda et al. 2016:73 [ref. 35333], Koeda et al. 2016:13 [ref. 35354], Santini et al. 2016:3 [ref. 39174], Fricke et al. 2018:277 [ref. 35805], Golani & Fricke 2018:122 [ref. 36273], Fricke et al. 2019:223 [ref. 36673], Zajonz et al. 2019:87 [ref. 36871], Wada et al. 2021:44 [ref. 38521], Dewa et al. 2022:22 [ref. 40001], Randall & Victor 2022:175 [ref. 39916], Allen & Erdmann 2024:690 [ref. 40796]). Current status: Valid as Bodianus axillaris (Bennett 1832). Labridae. Distribution: Red Sea; Indo-West Pacific: KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Socotra (Yemen), Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues) east to Line Islands (Kiribati), Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) and Pitcairn Group, north to Amami Islands and Osumi Islands (southern Japan) and Marshall Islands, south to Western Australia, New South Wales (Australia), New Caledonia, Lord Howe Island (Australia) and Rapa (French Polynesia). Habitat: marine.