The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine ray-finned fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into nine subgroups or tribes.
The giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus), also known as the Queensland groper (grouper), brindle grouper or mottled-brown sea bass, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It has a wide Indo-Pacific distribution and is one of the largest extant species of bony fish.
Notolabrus fucicola, the banded parrotfish, blue wrasse, kelpie, New Zealand banded wrasse, purple parrotfish, saddled wrasse, Southern purple wrasse, Southern wrasse, winter bream or yellow-saddled wrasse, is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Indian Ocean, off eastern Australia and all around New Zealand on rocky, weedy reef areas. Aging work in New Zealand suggested these wrasses can live at least 35 years.
The foxfish, Bodianus frenchii, is a species of wrasse native to the temperate marine waters in southwestern Western Australia to eastern South Australia, and from southern Queensland to eastern Tasmania, at depths between 10 and 40 m. A gap in the distribution of foxfish occurs through Victoria. Its length is up to 45 cm.
Orectolobus hutchinsi, the western wobbegong, is a species of carpet shark in the family Orectolobidae. The western wobbegong shark is a moderate sized marine shark found off the coast of Western Australia. Its scientific name is Orectolobus hutchinsi, and it was first identified in 1983 by Dr. Barry Hutchins, but was only recently classified, described, and published in 2006. O. hutchinsi is found on the shallow continental shelf in Western Australia from Coral Bay to Groper Bluff. This species is distinct from other wobbegong sharks because the western wobbegong shark has a yellowish brown upper body and darker brown saddles on their backs. Unlike other wobbegong sharks from the same area, the western wobbegong shark does not have white rings or blotches on their backs.
The black-faced cormorant, also known as the black-faced shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is endemic to coastal regions of southern Australia.
Amphiprion akindynos, the Barrier Reef anemonefish, is a species of anemonefish that is principally found in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, but also in nearby locations in the Western Pacific. The species name 'akindynos' is Greek, meaning 'safe' or 'without danger' in reference to the safety afforded amongst the tentacles of its host anemone. Like all anemonefishes it forms a symbiotic mutualism with sea anemones and is unaffected by the stinging tentacles of the host anemone. It is a sequential hermaphrodite with a strict size-based dominance hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning the breeding male will change to female if the sole breeding female dies, with the largest non-breeder becomes the breeding male. The fish's natural diet includes zooplankton.
The Mozambique tilapia is an oreochromine cichlid fish native to southeastern Africa. Dull colored, the Mozambique tilapia often lives up to a decade in its native habitats. It is a popular fish for aquaculture. Due to human introductions, it is now found in many tropical and subtropical habitats around the globe, where it can become an invasive species because of its robust nature. These same features make it a good species for aquaculture because it readily adapts to new situations. It is known as black tilapia in Colombia and as blue kurper in South Africa.
The sand grey mullet is a species of mullet found in coastal marine waters of Australia.
The golden lined whiting, also known as the Tin Can Bay whiting or rough-scale whiting, is a species of inshore marine fish of the smelt whiting family, Sillaginidae that inhabits the coastlines of northern Australia and lower Papua New Guinea. The golden lined whiting can be more readily distinguished by its colour than other whitings in the genus Sillago, although swim bladder morphology and spine and ray counts are the most precise method of identification. S. analis is an opportunistic predator, taking a variety of crustaceans, polychaetes and molluscs, with a transition of diet seen as the fish mature. One unusual aspect about the species diet is the large amounts of molluscan siphons it takes. The species spawns between January and March, with juvenile fish inhabiting the shallow protected coastal waters. Golden lined whiting is important to fisheries centered on Shark Bay in Western Australia and also in Queensland, although makes up a relatively minor component of the whiting fishery.
Galaxias fontanus, the Swan galaxias, is a species of fish in the family Galaxiidae. It is endemic to eastern Tasmania, Australia.
The cuckoo wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Senegal, including the Azores and Madeira. It is also found in the Mediterranean Sea. They occur in weedy, rocky areas mostly between 40 and 80 m. This species is an occasional food fish for local populations but is also popular as a game fish. It is also a popular fish for display in public aquaria.
Coastal fish, also called inshore fish or neritic fish, inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf. Since the continental shelf is usually less than 200 metres (660 ft) deep, it follows that pelagic coastal fish are generally epipelagic fish, inhabiting the sunlit epipelagic zone. Coastal fish can be contrasted with oceanic fish or offshore fish, which inhabit the deep seas beyond the continental shelves.
Orectolobus reticulatus, the network wobbegong, is a recently described species of carpet shark found in relatively shallow waters off Kimberley and Darwin in north-western Australia. With a known maximum length of only 52.3 centimetres (20.6 in), it may be the smallest species of wobbegong. Until its description in 2008, it had been confused with the northern wobbegong. The network wobbegong has a short snout, broad head, elongated body, and two dorsal fins, with the first being slightly larger than the second. Its body is grayish brown with darker brown markings and a pale yellow underbelly. The network wobbegong lives in shallow waters along reefy bottoms.
The western blue groper is a species of wrasse native to coastal waters of southern Australia from the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia to west of Melbourne.
The eastern blue groper is a species of wrasse native to southeastern Australia from Hervey Bay in southern Queensland to Wilsons Promontory in Victoria. They occur in coastal waters, preferring rocky areas at a depth of about 40 m (130 ft). Juveniles inhabit beds of seagrass in estuaries. The diet of this species consists of invertebrates such as various molluscs, crabs, sea urchins, and cunjevoi. This species grows to a length of 100 centimetres as adult males, while females are less than 70 cm (28 in) long. In 1998, the eastern blue groper was made the state fish emblem of New South Wales.
Cochleoceps orientalis, common name eastern cleaner-clingfish, is a species of clingfish that is endemic to the marine waters around southeastern Australia.
Notolabrus gymnogenis, commonly known as the crimson banded wrasse, is a species of fish in the family Labridae. This colourful fish is endemic to Eastern Australia.
The blue-throated wrasse, also known as the bluehead, bluehead parrotfish, bluenose, bluenose parrotfish, bluethroat parrotfish, blue-throat wrasse, kelpie, lilac banded parrotfish, rocky bream, rocky cod, rotfish or winter bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the Indian and Pacific Ocean off the south-eastern coasts of Australia.
Pictilabrus laticlavius, the patrician wrasse, the senator wrasse, the green parrotfish or the purplebanded wrasse is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the south western Pacific Oceans off the temperate coasts of southern Australia.
