hardwicke, Sparus Bennett [J. W.] 1830:unnum. p., Pl. 12 [A selection from the most remarkable and interesting fishes found on the coast of Ceylon First Edition; ref. 16785] South coast of Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean. No types known. Lectotype selected by Fricke 1999:436 [ref. 24106] as the specimen figured in Bennett's Pl. 12. Sparus hardwickii Bennett 1841 [ref. 16785] is an incorrect subsequent spelling -- (Eschmeyer & Pethiyagoda 1996:143 [ref. 22472]). •Valid as Thalassoma hardwicke (Bennett 1830) -- (Araga in Masuda et al. 1984:205 [ref. 6441] as hardwickii, Randall 1986:704 [ref. 5706], Allen & Swainston 1988:120 [ref. 25477] as hardwickei, Winterbottom et al. 1989:56 [ref. 13251] as hardwicki, Randall et al. 1990:337 [ref. 15987], Kuiter 1993:288 [ref. 23929], Francis 1993:165 [ref. 25479], Pethiyagoda et al. 1994:43 [ref. 21456], Allen 1995:76 [ref. 21960], Mohsin & Ambak 1996:485 [ref. 27969] as hardwickii, Allen 1997:194 [ref. 23977] as hardwickei, Kuiter 1997:302 [ref. 25488], Randall et al. 1997:337 [ref. 25919], Myers 1999:202 [ref. 23965], Fricke 1999:435 [ref. 24106], Johnson 1999:745 [ref. 25471], Allen 2000:91 [ref. 37268] as hardwickei, Parenti & Randall 2000:45 [ref. 24943], Westneat in Randall & Lim 2000:629 [ref. 25122], Nakabo 2000:989 [ref. 25182], Laboute & Grandperrin 2000:369 [ref. 25191], Sadovy & Cornish 2000:215 [ref. 25480], Allen 2000:114 [ref. 25868], Iwatsuki et al. 2000:103 [ref. 26368], Hutchins 2001:269 [ref. 25841], Hutchins 2001:39 [ref. 25847], Westneat 2001:3403 [ref. 26277] dated 1828, Nakabo 2002:989 [ref. 26193], Allen & Adrim 2003:51 [ref. 26830], Manilo & Bogorodsky 2003:S115 [ref. 27377], Bernardi et al. 2004:371 [ref. 27454], Myers & Donaldson 2003:636 [ref. 27495] dated 1828, Shibukawa et al. in Kimura & Matsuura 2003:157 [ref. 27510], Lobel & Lobel 2004:74 [ref. 27576] dated 1820, Randall et al. 2004:23 [ref. 27624] dated 1828, Adrim et al. 2004:125 [ref. 27715], Heemstra et al. 2004:3326 [ref. 27945], Randall 2005:439 [ref. 28239], Allen et al. 2006:1414 [ref. 29095], Fricke et al. 2009:89 [ref. 30213], Satapoomin 2009:231 [ref. 30463], Motomura et al. 2010:174 [ref. 31256], Kuiter 2010:207 [ref. 35285], Allen & Erdmann 2012:721 [ref. 31980], Fricke et al. 2013:267 [ref. 32706], Fricke et al. 2014:139 [ref. 33932], Koeda et al. 2016:78 [ref. 35333], Koeda et al. 2016:14 [ref. 35354], Fricke et al. 2018:293 [ref. 35805], Satapoomin in Kimura et al. 2018:235 [ref. 36460], Arndt & Fricke 2019:20 [ref. 36883], Dalleau-Coudert et al. 2019:170 [ref. 40104], Fricke et al. 2019:239 [ref. 36673], Hoschke et al. 2019:158 [ref. 36626], Zajonz et al. 2019:91 [ref. 36871] as cf. hardwicke, Koreeda et al. 2022:23 [ref. 39102], Randall & Victor 2022:257 [ref. 39916], Fricke et al. 2024:77 [ref. 41255], Noushad K. et al. 2024:45 [ref. 40947]). Current status: Valid as Thalassoma hardwicke (Bennett 1830). Labridae. Distribution: Indo-West Pacific: Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), East Africa, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar and Mascarenes (La Réunion, Mauritius, Rodrigues) east to Wake Atoll and Tuamotu Archipelago (French Polynesia), north to southern Japan and Ogasawara Islands (Japan), south to Rottnest Island (Western Australia), Sydney (New South Wales, Australia), Lord Howe Island (Australia), New Caledonia, Tonga and Austral Islands (French Polynesia). Habitat: marine.