Coral Reef Fish - Wrasses

Wrasses belong to the family Labridae. They are a diverse group on the reef and are fairly common aquarium fishes. They are closely related to the parrotfish, but smaller and more elongate. Sizes range from 3 to 18 inches (typically) and they have one or more pairs of protruding canine teeth that are used to crush the shells of invertebrates such as sea urchins. Hogfish and razorfish are also part of the wrasse family but have different common names due to the difference in their shapes. Like parrotfish, wrasse go through changes in shape, colors and markings as they mature. The phases include the Juvenile Phase, Initial Phase, and Terminal Phase which is the largest and most colorful phase.

Atlantic/Caribbean (only, for now)

Bluehead wrasse Thalassoma bifasciatum	Bluehead wrasse (initial phase) Thalassoma bifasciatum	Yellow cheek wrasse Halichoeres cyanocephalus
Clown wrasse Halichoeres maculipinna	Clown wrasse (initial phase) Halichoeres maculipinna	Yellowhead wrasse (initial phase) *Halichoeres garnoti*
Spotfin Hogfish (aka cuban hogfish) Bodianus pulchellus	Spanish hogfish Bodianus rufus	Pearly razorfish Xyrichtys novacula

Note: Most of these photos were taken at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, South Carolina Aquarium in Charelston, Key West Aquarium, Pennekamp State Park Aquarium in Florida and the Albuquerque Aquarium.. Feel free to use these photographs on any of your government, citizen or not-for-profit Web sites. I only ask that you credit this Web site page and acknowledge the name of the photographer in the alt tag. Please email us if you need higher resolution photos or permissions for other purposes. Learn more about fish as environmental indicators and coral reefs.

Biological Indicators | Aquatic Biodiversity | Statistical Primer

Coral Reef Fish - Wrasses

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