| Gomphosus varius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female | |
 | |
| male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Labriformes |
| Family: | Labridae |
| Genus: | Gomphosus |
| Species: | G. varius |
| Binomial name | |
| Gomphosus varius Lacépède, 1801 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
The bird wrasse, Gomphosus varius, is a species of the wrasse family.
The bird wrasse is a medium-sized fish which can reach a standard length of 30 cm (12 in). [3] It has an elongated body, laterally compressed, with a truncated tail and a long snout. Adults are relatively easy to recognize by their characteristic long nose and the jerky flapping of their pectoral fins when swimming. Juveniles are more difficult to identify, as they haven't yet developed the characteristic prominent snout. [4] Gomphosus varius can be confused with its close relative Gomphosus caeruleus, but differs from the latter by its color pattern and its geographic range. Like many wrasses, Gomphosus varius is a sequential hermaphrodite. As it changes sex, its body shape, color intensity and pattern vary considerably. [5]
The female is smaller than the male and its body color is duller. The anterior half or the first third of the body is light-colored: the belly and chest are pearly white, the scales of the flanks are grayish and lined with a dark border, the upper half of the snout is red-orange, a brown longitudinal fine line crosses the eye and the pectoral fins are translucent. The male body color is more uniform than the female's. Its dominant color is greenish; the intensity varies from one individual to another, but also according to maturity and mating period. [6] The head can also have a dark bluish color. A yellowish color, lighter green than the flanks, tints the shoulder of the pectoral fin.
The bird wrasse is found in tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, from the eastern part of the Indian Ocean to the oceanic islands of the Pacific Ocean, including the Hawaiian archipelago. [4] They frequent external slopes, reefs, and lagoon areas rich in hard coral. [7]
The bird wrasse is diurnally active; it is usually solitary, but can sometimes be observed in small groups. [8] Like other wrasses, it is carnivorous, its diet consisting primarily of small benthic crustaceans caught in corals, but it may also feed on brittle stars, molluscs and small fish. [9] During its lifetime, the bird wrasse undergoes a sexual metamorphosis corresponding to sequential hermaphroditism; it may be a protogynous hermaphrodite, starting as a female and then become male. [9]
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 and Heliofungia actiniformis.
The hogfish, also known as boquinete, doncella de pluma or pez perro in Mexico is a species of wrasse native to the Western Atlantic Ocean, living in a range from Nova Scotia, Canada, to northern South America, including the Gulf of Mexico. This species occurs around reefs, especially preferring areas with plentiful gorgonians. It is a carnivore which feeds on molluscs, as well as crabs and sea urchins. This species is currently the only known member of its genus.
The orange-fin anemonefish is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes, found in the Western Pacific north of the Great Barrier Reef from the surface to 20 m, to include the Pacific Ocean between Queensland, Australia, and New Guinea to the Marshall and Tuamotus Islands. It can grow to 17 cm in length.
The pennant coralfish, also known as the longfin bannerfish, reef bannerfish or coachman, is a species of fish of the family Chaetodontidae, native to the Indo-Pacific area.
The checkerboard wrasse is a fish belonging to the wrasse family. It is native to the area including the Indian Ocean to central Pacific Ocean.
The pyramid butterflyfish is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a butterflyfish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, native from central Indo-Pacific.
The exquisite wrasse is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses, which is native to reefs in the Indo-West Pacific region. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
Jansen's wrasse is a species of ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae which is native to the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. In the south-western Pacific Ocean it is replaced by sibling species black-barred wrasse. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
The slingjaw wrasse is a species of wrasse from the family Labridae which is native to the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific where it occurs around coral reefs. This species is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can be found in the aquarium trade. Relatively mundane at first glance, this fish is notable for its highly protrusible jaws.
The barred thicklip wrasse is a species of fish belonging to the wrasse family, native from the Indo-Pacific.
Gomphosus caeruleus, the green birdmouth wrasse, is a species of wrasse belonging to the family Labridae. It can be found in the aquarium trade.
Halichoeres maculipinna, the clown wrasse, is a species of tropical fish that lives throughout the Caribbean Sea and adjacent parts of the western Atlantic Ocean. It is a carnivorous, multi-colored wrasse that is common throughout its range.
The blackeye thicklip wrasse or half-and-half wrasse is a species of fish belonging to the wrasse family. It is native to the Indo-Pacific.
Halichoeres prosopeion, commonly called the twotone wrasse, half-grey wrasse or zig-zag wrasse, is a fish species in the wrasse family native to the western Pacific Ocean.
Halichoeres richmondi, commonly called the Richmond's wrasse or chain-lined wrasse, is a fish species in the wrasse family native from the central Indo-Pacific.
The blackear wrasse is a species of wrasse, a type of fish in the family Labridae, from the warmer waters of the western Atlantic Ocean.
Latent sling-jaw wrasse is a species of ray-finned fish from the wrasse Family Labridae which is associated with reefs in the south-western Pacific Ocean.
The belted wrasse is a species of wrasse in the family Labridae, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It was originally named Stethojulis axillaris by Quoy and Gaimard in 1824. In Hawaiian, this species is known as ʻOmaka, although it may also be referred to as hīnālea or alea, for wrasse.
Iniistius geisha is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the Western Central Pacific Ocean.
Halichoeres hartzfeldii, Hartzfeld's wrasse, is a species of salt water wrasse found in the Western Pacific Ocean.
