Tropical Pacific Wrasses, Part 1 REEF Fishinar March 14, 2018, Amy Lee - Instructor Questions? Feel free to contact

Transcription

1 Tropical Pacific Wrasses, Part 1 REEF Fishinar March 14, 2018, Amy Lee - Instructor Questions? Feel free to contact amy@reef.org Pacific Bird Wrasse (Gomphosus varius) Terminal phase (TP) Slender body with greatly elongated snout like a bird s beak Bluish-green head and green body Dark streak on pectoral fin Regions: CIP, HAW, SOP Size: Max. 13 in. Pacific Bird Wrasse Initial phase (IP) Elongated snout with orange wash Whitish head and chest area Gray body becomes nearly black at tail base Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) White to yellowish head and forebody becoming bluish towards tail Black stripe from snout to tail JP is navy blue-black with neon blue stripe from snout to tail Swims in jerky erratic motion to attract fish to be cleaned Size: Max. 4.5 in. Bicolor Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides bicolor) Black forebody fades to yellow or white toward rear body and tail Blue crescent on tail IP is gray to white/yellow with a wide black stripe from snout to midbody, Indian Ocean Size: Max. 5.5 in.

2 Yellowtail Coris (Coris gaimard) TP Variable from blue to green and red with yellow tail Bright yellow or green midbody bar Brilliant blue spots on rear body and tail base IP is similar but lacks midbody bar Regions: CIP, HAW, SOP Size: Max. 12 in. Yellowtail Coris Juvenile phase (JP) Bright red-orange body 5 white saddles outlined in black spread across head and back Batu Coris (Coris batuensis) TP Whitish to pale green body Several dark bars and narrow white bars on upper body White-rimmed black spot on middle of dorsal fin, Indian Ocean Photo by: Rick Stuart-Smith Batu Coris JP White head and forebody becomes green toward back Red spots and dashes covering body Size: Max. 2.5 in. Disappearing Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus evanidus) Reddish pink to orange with thin white stripes on sides White band under eye Can display 5-6 pale, diffuse bars Solitary and cryptic Regions: CIP, HAW, SOP, Indian Ocean, Red Sea Size: Max. 3.5 in.

3 Canary Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) Bright golden yellow body Black spot on front of dorsal fin, occasionally dark spot behind eye Faint orange or greenish bands on head Size: Max in. Twotone Wrasse (Halichoeres prosopeion) TP Purplish head and forebody gradating to yellow at rear Black spot at front of dorsal fin JP is white to yellow with 4 black stripes from head to tail, bluish wash on head Zigzag Wrasse (Halichoeres scapularis) TP Pale green with blue to lavender scale margins Blue to lavender bands on head Large black diffuse stripe on body Usually seen over sand or rubble and seagrass beds Photo by: Ian V Shaw Zigzag Wrasse IP/JP Whitish or pale green body with interrupted dark stripe running from head to tail base in a zigzag-like pattern Forms groups over sand and rubble Bluntheaded Wrasse (Thalassoma amblycephalum) TP Blue to green head, bright blue pectoral fin Wide yellow collar-like band behind head Bluish-red body with vertical green lines on scales Two thin pink lines under eye, Indian Ocean Photo by: Dennis Polack Size: Max in.

4 Bluntheaded Wrasse IP Pale green back with broad dark brown stripe down midbody White belly Reddish tints on tail Usually seen in large groups of IP and one TP Photo by: Dennis Polack Jansen s Wrasse (Thalassoma jansenii) Black upper head and body with white lower head and belly 5 narrow bars on adults, young individuals have 2 wide pale bars Narrow yellow bar above pectoral fin Nearly identical to Blackbar Wrasse, differentiated by geography Locations: Maldives, Indonesia, Philippines, W. PNG, S. Japan, W. Australia Blackbar Wrasse (Thalassoma negrofasciatum) Black head with white lower head and belly Yellow bar above pectoral fin 2 white body bands with yellow edges, yellow tail base IP does not have yellow edges on body bands Locations: E. PNG, GBR, New Caledonia, Fiji Photos by: Mark Rosenstein Checkerboard Wrasse (Halichoeres hortulanus) Pale yellowish-white body with blue bar on each scale in checkerboard pattern 2-3 yellow saddle blotches along dorsal fin Green and pink bands on head Size: Up to 11 in. Crescent Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) Blue-green body Lavender to green bands on head Lavender pectoral fin with bright blue margin Deep lunate tail with yellow center Size: Max. 10 in.

5 Sixbar Wrasse (Thalassoma hardwicke) Pale green to white body with 5-6 black saddles gradually decreasing in size towards tail Pink bands on head, Indian Ocean Photo by: Mark Rosenstein Size: Max. 7 in. Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon meleagris) TP Orange-red to purple or green undercolor with dark edged spot on each scale Small black spot above pectoral fin Blue-edged green bands on head Photo by: Klaus Stiefel Leopard Wrasse IP White body with leopard-like pattern of closely-spaced brown and black spots Red bands on front of head Front spines of dorsal fin slightly elongated Black Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon negrosensis) Greenish body with black scale margins Medial fins black with clear tail, may have clear tail borders Several pale band markings on head IP is black with numerous small white spots, pale dorsal fin, clear tail Photo by: Ian V. Shaw (pictured: TP) Size: Max in.