The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into 9 subgroups or tribes. They are typically small, most of them less than 20 cm (7.9 in) long, although the largest, the humphead wrasse, can measure up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft). They are efficient carnivores, feeding on a wide range of small invertebrates. Many smaller wrasses follow the feeding trails of larger fish, picking up invertebrates disturbed by their passing. Juveniles of some representatives of the genera Bodianus, Epibulus, Cirrhilabrus, Oxycheilinus, and Paracheilinus hide among the tentacles of the free-living mushroom corals & Heliofungia actiniformis.
The ocellated wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov. It inhabits areas with rocks and eelgrass at depths from 1 to 30 m. It feeds on various marine invertebrates. This species can reach 12 cm (4.7 in) in standard length. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The corkwing wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Morocco and out to the Azores, as well as being found in the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea. This species can be found in areas of rock or eelgrass at depths from 1 to 30 m.
The goldsinny wrasse is a species of ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae which is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and associated seas. This species is the only known member of its genus.
The Mediterranean rainbow wrasse is a small, colourful fish in the family Labridae. It can be found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the northeast Atlantic Ocean from Sweden to Senegal. Records of this species south from Senegal and the Cape Verde Islands are actually the closely related Coris atlantica.
The barred thicklip wrasse, Hemigymnus fasciatus, is a species of fish belonging to the wrasse family, native from the Indo-Pacific.
Symphodus is a genus of wrasses native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The grey wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. It inhabits coastal waters, preferring beds of eelgrass at depths from 1 to 20 m. It can reach 16 cm (6.3 in) in total length, though most do not exceed 8 cm (3.1 in). It is important to local peoples as a food fish and is popular as a game fish. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The pointed-snout wrasse, also known as the long-snout wrasse, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae which is native to coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. This species can also be found in the aquarium trade and is occasionally taken in artisanal fisheries.
The East Atlantic peacock wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Spain to Morocco and in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. This species lives around rocks surrounded by eelgrass and can also be found in brackish waters in lagoons. It occurs at depths from 1 to 50 m. This species can reach 44 cm (17 in) in standard length, though most grow no larger than 25 cm (9.8 in). This species is sought as a game fish and is also important to local peoples as a food fish. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The five-spotted wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the Bay of Biscay to Morocco and through the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. This species inhabits rocky areas usually within beds of eelgrass at depths from 1 to 30 m. It can reach 17 cm (6.7 in) in standard length, though usually not more than 12 cm (4.7 in). This species is sought by local peoples as a food fish and can also be found in the aquarium trade.
The axillary wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the Azores and Madeira to the coasts of Portugal to Morocco and then along the coastal waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This species can be found in eelgrass beds at depths from 1 to 50 m. It can reach 18 cm (7.1 in) in standard length, though most do not exceed 12 cm (4.7 in). This species is important to local peoples as a food fish and is also sought as a game fish. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
Symphodus doderleini is a species of wrasse native to the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea through the Sea of Marmara. It can be found in beds of eelgrass at depths of from 2 to 40 m, and can reach 10 cm (3.9 in) in standard length.
Baillon's wrasse is a species of wrasse native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles and Belgium to Mauritania and the western Mediterranean Sea along the coast of Spain and around the Balearic Islands. This species inhabits areas with plentiful weed growth or around rocks at depths from 1 to 50 m. It can reach 23 cm (9.1 in) in standard length, though usually not exceeding 18 cm (7.1 in). The British Record for the heaviest fish is 285 grams caught in Poole Bay, Dorset on 3 September 2018 by David Lynes It is caught for human consumption in artisanal fisheries.
Centrolabrus is a small genus of wrasses from the family Labridae which are native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
The chiseltooth wrasse is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae. It is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It is an inhabitant of coral reefs and can be found at depths from 3 to 60 m, though rarely deeper than 40 m (130 ft). This species grows to 30 cm (12 in) in total length. It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can be found in the aquarium trade. P. moluccanus is the only known member of its genus.
Lepadogaster candolii, common name Connemarra clingfish, is a species of fish in the genus Lepadogaster. It occurs in the Eastern Atlantic from the British Isles south to Madeira and the Canary Islands and into the western Mediterranean and the Black Sea. The specific name candolii honours the Swiss botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778-1841) and has various spellings: candolii, candolei, candollei, and decandollii, but only the first one is correct. Some workers have found that L. candolii is not closely related to the other two species in the genus Lepadogaster and have proposed the placing of this species in the revived monotypic genus Mirbelia Canestrini, 1864, at least until more definitive taxonomic studies can be undertaken.
Macropharyngodon geoffroy, also known as the Geoffroy's wrasse, is a member of the wrasse family endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a length of 13 cm (5.1 in). This benthopelagic species occurs in areas of mixed sand, rubble, and coral on seaward reefs where it feeds mostly on molluscs, especially prosobranch gastropods) and foraminiferans. Macropharyngodon geoffroy is the type species of the genus Macropharyngodon.
Lapanella fasciata is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to Morocco, as well as Madeira and the Azores, and in the Mediterranean Sea as far east as the Adriatic Sea. It lives in deep, rock areas where it feeds on crabs, molluscs and polychaete worms.
Symphodus caeruleus is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae. It is endemic to the Azores in the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
