Bird wrasse
Gomphosus varius
Wrasses
wrasse
About
Wrasses are a large, varied family of reef fish known for their thick lips and jutting teeth. In this app the group includes the Bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Checkerboard wrasse, and Moon wrasse.
How to tell it apart
Wrasses are best told apart by colour pattern and size, though this can be tricky since the same species may look very different as a juvenile, an adult female, or a mature male. Thick, folded lips are a helpful shared sign of the group.
Appearance
Wrasses have a mouth that can push forward, often with thick lips and teeth that stick outwards. Their back fin usually runs most of the length of the body. Males and females often look different, and colour can also change as a fish grows and changes sex.
Habitat
Most wrasses live in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, usually close to the bottom on coral reefs and rocky shores. A few species live in cooler water, with the Ballan wrasse found as far north as Norway.
Behaviour
Many wrasses live in a harem with one dominant male and several females. Most release their eggs into open water to drift with the currents, with no further care from the parents, though a few species build nests and guard their eggs.
Breeding
Many wrasses can change sex during their life, usually from female to male, and the largest female in a group often becomes the new male if the male is lost. Some species are born as one sex and stay that way for life.
Did you know?
The name "wrasse" comes from an old Cornish word meaning "old woman" or "hag".
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
