Wrasse

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Wrasses
Thalassoma lunare.jpg
Moon wrasse
( Thalassoma lunare )
Sexual dimorphism in Bolbometopon muricatum (cropped).png
Humphead parrotfish
( Bolbometopon muricatum )
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Suborder: Labroidei
Family: Labridae
G. Cuvier, 1816
Tribes

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. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

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. [4] 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 . [5] [6]

Taxonomy

Parrotfish were traditionally regarded as comprising their own family (Scaridae), but are now often treated as a subfamily (Scarinae) or tribe (Scarini) of the wrasses (Labridae), being nested deep within the wrasse phylogenetic tree. [7] The odacine wrasses, traditionally classified as forming their own family, were found nested deep within the wrasse tribe Hypsigenyini, and most closely related to the tuskfishes. [8]

Etymology

The word "wrasse" comes from the Cornish word wragh, a lenited form of gwragh, meaning an old woman or hag, via Cornish dialect wrath. It is related to the Welsh gwrach and Breton gwrac'h. [9]

+Phyllopharyngodon longipinnis (Eocene) Phyllopharyngodon longipinnis.jpg
† Phyllopharyngodon longipinnis (Eocene)

Genera

Description

Lips of Labrus festivus Britannica Wrasse.jpg
Lips of Labrus festivus

Wrasses have protractile mouths, usually with separate jaw teeth that jut outwards. [10] Many species can be readily recognized by their thick lips, the inside of which is sometimes curiously folded, a peculiarity which gave rise to the German name of "lip-fishes" (Lippfische), [11] and the Dutch name of lipvissen. The dorsal fin has eight to 21 spines and six to 21 soft rays, usually running most of the length of the back. Wrasses are sexually dimorphic. Many species are capable of changing sex. Juveniles are a mix of males and females (known as initial-phase individuals), but the largest adults become territory-holding (terminal-phase) males. [10]

The wrasses have become a primary study species in fish-feeding biomechanics due to their jaw structures. The nasal and mandibular bones are connected at their posterior ends to the rigid neurocranium, and the superior and inferior articulations of the maxilla are joined to the anterior tips of these two bones, respectively, creating a loop of four rigid bones connected by moving joints. This "four-bar linkage" has the property of allowing numerous arrangements to achieve a given mechanical result (fast jaw protrusion or a forceful bite), thus decoupling morphology from function. The actual morphology of wrasses reflects this, with many lineages displaying different jaw morphology that results in the same functional output in a similar or identical ecological niche. [10]

Distribution and habitat

Most wrasses inhabit the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, though some species live in temperate waters: the Ballan wrasse is found as far north as Norway. Wrasses are usually found in shallow-water habitats such as coral reefs and rocky shores, where they live close to the substrate.

Reproductive behavior

Most labrids are protogynous hermaphrodites within a haremic mating system. [12] [13] A good example of this reproductive behavior is seen in the California sheephead. Hermaphroditism allows for complex mating systems. Labroids exhibit three different mating systems: polygynous, lek-like, and promiscuous. [14] Group spawning and pair spawning occur within mating systems. The type of spawning that occurs depends on male body size. [13] Labroids typically exhibit broadcast spawning, releasing high numbers of planktonic eggs, which are broadcast by tidal currents; adult labroids have no interaction with offspring. [15] Wrasses of a particular subgroup of the family Labridae, Labrini, do not exhibit broadcast spawning.

Sex change in wrasses is generally female-to-male, but experimental conditions have allowed for male-to-female sex change. Placing two male Labroides dimidiatus wrasses in the same tank results in the smaller of the two becoming female again. [16] Additionally, while the individual to change sex is generally the largest female, [17] evidence also exists of the largest female instead "choosing" to remain female in situations in which she can maximize her evolutionary fitness by refraining from changing sex. [18]

Broodcare behavior of the tribe

The subgroup Labrini arose from a basal split within family Labridae during the Eocene period. [3] Subgroup Labrini is composed of eight genera, wherein 15 of 23 species exhibit broodcare behavior, [15] which ranges from simple to complex parental care of spawn; males build algae nests or crude cavities, ventilate eggs, and defend nests against conspecific males and predators. [15] In species that express this behavior, eggs cannot survive without parental care. [19] Species of Symphodus, Centrolabrus , and Labrus genera exhibit broodcare behavior.

Sexual developmental systems

Wrasses exhibit three types of sexual development, depending on the species. Sex in this context refers to functional sex, ie the individual's role when mating. Some species show functional gonochorism, meaning that they are born functionally either male or female, and remain so for their entire life; there is no sex change. Meanwhile, functionally hermaphoditic species exhibit sex change, and are protogynous, meaning that individuals that are functionally female can become functionally male. These protogynous species are either monandric (all individuals are born functionally female, but can become functionally male) or diandric (individuals can be born either female or male, and individuals that are born female can become male). [20]

Evolutionarily, wrasse lineages trend towards developing monandry. [21] Monandric lineages rarely transition directly to diandry, instead transitioning through functional gonochorism first on the pathway to diandry. [20]

Potential tool use

Many species of wrasses have been recorded using large rocks or hard coral as "anvils", upon which they smash open hard-shelled prey items. At least some of these species can remember to use a particular rock or coral repeatedly for this purpose. [22] This behaviour usually involves invertebrate prey such as clams, sea urchins, and crabs, but on one occasion, a blue tuskfish was filmed smashing a young green sea turtle on an anvil. [23] [22]

21 species of 8 genera have been documented exhibiting this behaviour, including Choerodon ( C. anchorago , C. cyanodus , C. graphicus, C. schoenleinii), Coris ( C. aygula , C. bulbifrons , C. julis , C. sandeyeri ), Cheilinus ( C. fasciatus , C. lunulatus , C. trilobatus ), Thalassoma ( T. hardwicke , T. jansenii , T. lunare , T. lutescens , T. pavo ), Symphodus ( S. mediterraneus ), Halichoeres ( H. garnoti , H. hortulanus ), Bodianus ( B. pulcher ), and Pseudolabrus ( P. luculentus ). [22] [24]

Cleaner wrasse

Hawaiian cleaner wrasses working on gill area of dragon wrasse Novaculichthys taeniourus, on a reef in Hawaii Cleaning station.JPG
Hawaiian cleaner wrasses working on gill area of dragon wrasse Novaculichthys taeniourus , on a reef in Hawaii

Cleaner wrasses are the best-known of the cleaner fish. They live in a cleaning symbiosis with larger, often predatory, fish, grooming them and benefiting by consuming what they remove. "Client" fish congregate at wrasse "cleaning stations" and wait for the cleaner fish to remove gnathiid parasites, the cleaners even swimming into their open mouths and gill cavities to do so. [25]

Cleaner wrasses are best known for feeding on dead tissue, scales, and ectoparasites, although they are also known to 'cheat', consuming healthy tissue and mucus, which is energetically costly for the client fish to produce. The bluestreak cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, is one of the most common cleaners found on tropical reefs. Few cleaner wrasses have been observed being eaten by predators, possibly because parasite removal is more important for predator survival than the short-term gain of eating the cleaner. [26]

In a 2019 study, cleaner wrasses passed the mirror test, the first fish to do so. [27] However, the test's inventor, American psychologist Gordon G. Gallup, has said that the fish were most likely trying to scrape off a perceived parasite on another fish and that they did not demonstrate self-recognition. The authors of the study retorted that because the fish checked themselves in the mirror before and after the scraping, this meant that the fish had self-awareness and recognized that their reflections belonged to their own bodies. [28] [29] [30] In a 2024 study, "mirror-naive" bluestreak cleaner wrasse were reported to initially show aggression to wrasse photographs sized 10% larger or 10% smaller than themselves, regardless of size. However, upon viewing their reflections in a mirror, they avoided confronting photographs 10% larger than they were. [31]

Significance to humans

In the Western Atlantic coastal region of North America, the most common food species for indigenous humans was the tautog, a species of wrasse. [11] Wrasses today are commonly found in both public and home aquaria. Some species are small enough to be considered reef safe. They may also be employed as cleaner fish to combat sea-lice infestations in salmon farms. [32] Commercial fish farming of cleaner wrasse for sea-lice pest control in commercial salmon farming has developed in Scotland as lice busters, with apparent commercial benefit and viability.

Parasites

As all fish, labrids are the hosts of a number of parasites. A list of 338 parasite taxa from 127 labrid fish species was provided by Muñoz and Diaz in 2015. [33] An example is the nematode Huffmanela ossicola .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parrotfish</span> Clade of ray-finned fishes

Parrotfish are a group of fish species traditionally regarded as a family (Scaridae), but now often treated as a subfamily (Scarinae) or tribe (Scarini) of the wrasses (Labridae). With roughly 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, rocky coasts, and seagrass beds, and can play a significant role in bioerosion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humphead wrasse</span> Species of fish

The humphead wrasse is a large species of wrasse mainly found on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. It is also known as the Māori wrasse, Napoleon wrasse, Napoleon fish, so mei 蘇眉 (Cantonese), mameng (Filipino), and merer in the Pohnpeian language of the Caroline Islands.

<i>Thalassoma bifasciatum</i> Species of fish

Thalassoma bifasciatum, the bluehead, bluehead wrasse or blue-headed wrasse, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae. It is native to the coral reefs of the tropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean. Individuals are small and rarely live longer than two years. They form large schools over the reef and are important cleaner fish in the reefs they inhabit.

<i>Choerodon</i> Genus of fishes

Choerodon is a genus of wrasses native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. They are commonly referred to as tuskfish, because most species have sharp tusk-like teeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asian sheephead wrasse</span> Species of fish

The Asian sheephead wrasse, also known as kobudai in Japan, is one of the largest species of wrasse. Native to the western Pacific Ocean, it inhabits rocky reef areas and prefers temperate waters around the Korean Peninsula, China, Japan, and the Ogasawara Islands. It can reach 100 cm (39 in) in total length, and the greatest weight recorded is 14.7 kg (32 lb).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluestreak cleaner wrasse</span> Species of fish

The bluestreak cleaner wrasse is one of several species of cleaner wrasses found on coral reefs from Eastern Africa and the Red Sea to French Polynesia. Like other cleaner wrasses, it eats parasites and dead tissue off larger fishes' skin in a mutualistic relationship that provides food and protection for the wrasse, and considerable health benefits for the other fishes. It is also notable for having potentially passed the mirror test, though this is not without controversy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christmas wrasse</span> Species of fish

The Christmas wrasse, also known as the ladder wrasse, green-barred wrasse or green-blocked wrasse, is a species of ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae which is native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. It inhabits shallow reefs at depths from the surface to 10 m (33 ft). It is of minor importance to local commercial fisheries and can be found in the aquarium trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jansen's wrasse</span> Species of fish

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.

<i>Halichoeres chrysus</i> Species of fish

Halichoeres chrysus, commonly called the canary wrasse, golden wrasse or yellow wrasse, is a fish species in the wrasse family native to central Indo-Pacific area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yellowhead wrasse</span> Species of fish

The yellowhead wrasse is a fish species belonging to wrasse family native to shallow tropical waters in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean.

<i>Halichoeres maculipinna</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Halichoeres prosopeion</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Halichoeres richmondi</i> Species of fish

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.

<i>Scarus fuscopurpureus</i> Species of fish

Scarus fuscopurpureus, common name purple-brown parrotfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, belonging to the class Actinopterygii. It is a parrotfish in the family Scaridae. It occurs in the western Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the gulf of Aden and the Persian Gulf. Countries in which boarder these waters include, but are not limited to Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

<i>Pseudocoris heteroptera</i> Species of fish

Pseudocoris heteroptera, the torpedo wrasse or zebra wrasse, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a wrasse from the family Labridae. It is found in the western Pacific Ocean where it is associated with reefs.

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.

<i>Halichoeres burekae</i> Species of fish

Halichoeres burekae, the Mardi Gras wrasse, is a species of wrasse native to the Gulf of Mexico. The species was first described from the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, but has since been recorded in other areas of the southern Gulf of Mexico. Because it is a small species that feeds on plankton in the water column, it is likely a preferred prey for invasive Lionfish. It also has a very restricted range, and corresponding relatively small population, what resulted in this species being listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List.

<i>Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa</i> Species of fish

Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa, also known by its common name rose-veiled fairy wrasse, is a rainbow-colored wrasse that is native to the reefs of the Maldives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julidini</span>

The julidine wrasses are saltwater fish of the tribe Julidini, a subgroup of the wrasse family (Labridae). It contains the highest number of genera and species out of all the wrasse tribes, with 20 genera and over 200 species, comprising almost a third of all wrasse species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheilinini</span>

The cheiline wrasses are saltwater fish of the tribe Cheilinini, a subgroup of the wrasse family (Labridae).

References

  1. ↑ Parenti, Paolo; Randall, John E. (15 April 2011). "Checklist of the species of the families Labridae and Scaridae: an update". Smithiana Bulletin. 13: 29–44.
  2. ↑ Parenti, Paolo; Randall, John E. (June 2000). "An annotated checklist of the species of the labroid fish families Labridae and Scaridae". Ichthyological Bulletin. 68: 1–97. hdl:10962/d1019894. ISSN   0073-4381.
  3. 1 2 Cowman, P.F.; Bellwood, D.R.; van Herwerden, L. (2009). "Dating the evolutionary origins of wrasse lineages (Labridae) and the rise of trophic novelty on coral reefs". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 52 (3): 621–631. Bibcode:2009MolPE..52..621C. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.05.015. PMID   19464378.
  4. ↑ Choat, J.H.; Bellwood, D.R. (1998). Paxton, J.R.; Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 211. ISBN   978-0-12-547665-2.
  5. ↑ Bos, Arthur R (2012). "Fishes (Gobiidae and Labridae) associated with the mushroom coralHeliofungia actiniformis (Scleractinia: Fungiidae) in the Philippines". Coral Reefs. 31: 133. Bibcode:2012CorRe..31..133B. doi: 10.1007/s00338-011-0834-3 .
  6. ↑ Bos, AR; Hoeksema, BW (2015). "Cryptobenthic fishes and co-inhabiting shrimps associated with the mushroom coral Heliofungia actiniformis (Fungiidae) in the Davao Gulf, Philippines". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 98 (6): 1479–1489. Bibcode:2015EnvBF..98.1479B. doi:10.1007/s10641-014-0374-0. S2CID   254466578.
  7. ↑ Westneat, Mark W.; Alfaro, Michael E. (2005-03-11). "Phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history of the reef fish family Labridae". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 36 (2): 370–390. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.02.001.
  8. ↑ Hughes, Lily C; Nash, Chloe M; White, William T; Westneat, Mark W (2023-06-17). Matschiner, Michael (ed.). "Concordance and Discordance in the Phylogenomics of the Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Teleostei: Labridae)". Systematic Biology. 72 (3): 530–543. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syac072. ISSN   1063-5157.
  9. ↑ "Wrasse | Define Wrasse at Dictionary.com". Dictionary.reference.com. Retrieved 2012-06-28.
  10. 1 2 3 Wainwright, Peter C.; Alfaro, Michael E.; Bolnick, Daniel I.; Hulsey, C. Darrin (2005). "Many-to-One Mapping of Form to Function: A General Principle in Organismal Design?". Integrative and Comparative Biology. 45 (2): 256–262. doi: 10.1093/icb/45.2.256 . PMID   21676769.
  11. 1 2 Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Wrasse"  . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 839.
  12. ↑ Robertson, D.R.; Warner, R.R. (1978). "Sexual patterns in the labroid fishes of the Western Caribbean II: the parrotfishes (Scaridae)". Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 255 (255): 1–26. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.255.
  13. 1 2 Kazancioglu, E.; Alonzo, S.H. (2010). "A comparative analysis of sex change in Labridae supports the size advantage hypothesis". Evolution. 64 (8): 2254–226. doi: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.01016.x . PMID   20394662.
  14. ↑ Colin, P.L.; Bell, L. J. (1992). "Aspects of the spawning of labrid and scarid fishes (Pisces, Labroidei) at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands with notes on other families (corrected reprint.)". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 33 (3): 330–345. doi: 10.1007/BF00005881 .
  15. 1 2 3 Hanel, R.; Westneat, M. W.; Sturmbauer, C. (December 2002). "Phylogenetic relationships, evolution of broodcare behavior, and geographic speciation in the Wrasse tribe Labrini". Journal of Molecular Evolution. 55 (6): 776–789. Bibcode:2002JMolE..55..776H. doi:10.1007/s00239-002-2373-6. PMID   12486536. S2CID   3002410.
  16. ↑ Kuwamura, T.; Tanaka, N.; Nakashima, Y.; Karino, K.; Sakai, Y (2002). "Reversed sex-change in the protogynous reef fish Labroides dimidiatus". Ethology. 108 (5): 443–450. Bibcode:2002Ethol.108..443K. doi:10.1046/j.1439-0310.2002.00791.x.
  17. ↑ Munday, P. L.; Ryen, C. A.; McCormick, M. I.; Walker, S. P. W. (2009). "Growth acceleration, behaviour and otolith check marks associated with sex change in the wrasse Halichoeres miniatus". Coral Reefs. 28 (3): 623–634. Bibcode:2009CorRe..28..623M. doi:10.1007/s00338-009-0499-3. S2CID   38928952.
  18. ↑ Munoz, R. C.; Warner, R. R. (2003). "A new version of the size-advantage hypothesis for sex change: incorporating sperm competition and size-fecundity skew". American Naturalist. 161 (5): 749–761. doi:10.1086/374345. PMID   12858282. S2CID   33000631.
  19. ↑ Taborsky, M.; Hudde, B.; Wirtz, P. (1987). "Reproductive behavior and ecology of Symphodus (Crenilabrus) ocellatus, a European wrasse with four types of male behavior". Behaviour. 102 (1–2): 82–118. doi:10.1163/156853986x00063.
  20. 1 2 Lowe, Jake R.; Russ, Garry R.; Bucol, Abner A.; Abesamis, Rene A.; Choat, John H. (2021). "Geographic variability in the gonadal development and sexual ontogeny of , and wrasses among Indo-Pacific coral reefs". Journal of Fish Biology. 99 (4): 1348–1363. doi:10.1111/jfb.14842. ISSN   1095-8649.
  21. ↑ Hodge, Jennifer R.; Santini, Francesco; Wainwright, Peter C. (2019-06-10), Correlated evolution of sex allocation and mating system in wrasses and parrotfishes, doi:10.1101/665638 , retrieved 2025-01-07
  22. 1 2 3 Pryor, Kimberley Jane (2022). "Tool use by the orange wrasse Pseudolabrus luculentus and doubleheader Coris bulbifrons". Marine Ecology. 43 (6): e12727. doi:10.1111/maec.12727. ISSN   1439-0485.
  23. ↑ Harborne, A. R.; Tholan, B. A. (September 2016). "Tool use by Choerodon cyanodus when handling vertebrate prey". Coral Reefs. 35 (3): 1069–1069. doi:10.1007/s00338-016-1448-6. ISSN   0722-4028.
  24. ↑ Jaishankar, Siddhi; Nair, Radhika; Alcoverro, Teresa; Arthur, Rohan (2024-04-01). "Anvil use by three wrasse species: Halichoeres hortulanus, Thalassoma jansenii, and Thalassoma lunare". Coral Reefs. 43 (2): 483–487. doi:10.1007/s00338-024-02467-y. ISSN   1432-0975.
  25. ↑ "The Fish That Makes Other Fish Smarter" by Ed Yong, The Atlantic, March 7, 2018
  26. ↑ Trivers, R. L. 1971
  27. ↑ "A species of fish has passed the mirror test for the first time". New Scientist.
  28. ↑ "This tiny fish can recognize itself in a mirror. Is it self-aware?". Animals. 2019-02-07. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  29. ↑ Ye, Yvaine. "A species of fish has passed the mirror test for the first time". New Scientist. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  30. ↑ Kohda, Masanori; Takashi, Hatta; Takeyama, Tmohiro; Awata, Satoshi; Tanaka, Hirokazu; Asai, Jun-ya; Jordan, Alex (2018-08-21). "Cleaner wrasse pass the mark test. What are the implications for consciousness and self-awareness testing in animals?". bioRxiv: 397067. doi: 10.1101/397067 .
  31. ↑ Kobayashi, Taiga; Kohda, Masanori; Awata, Satoshi; Bshary, Redouan; Sogawa, Shumpei (2024-09-11). "Cleaner fish with mirror self-recognition capacity precisely realize their body size based on their mental image". Scientific Reports. 14 (1): 20202. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-70138-7. ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   11390716 .
  32. ↑ "Sea Lice". Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  33. ↑ Muñoz G., Diaz P.E. 2015: Checklist of parasites of labrid fishes (Pisces: Labridae). Viña del Mar, Chile. PDF. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
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