Christmas wrasse

📖 Overview

Found solitary or in groups in shallow exposed reef flats, usually with rock-base and mixed coral and algae . Also occurs in surge-swept reef flats, reef margins, and clear rocky shorelines, but may venture to deeper waters up to 10 m . Benthopelagic . Feeds on crustaceans (especially crabs), mollusks, and ophiuroids (brittle stars) .

🔬 Taxonomy

🐟 Physical Description

Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11. This species is distinguished by the following characters: greatest body depth 2.7-3.6 in SL; pectoral fin rays usually 16; lateral line scales 25; total gill rakers on first gill arch 17-24 (modally 20); caudal fin of initial phase slightly rounded to truncate, of terminal males truncate to slightly double emaginate; Body of initial (female) phase greenish grey to pale green with 5-6 dark saddles on back, pair of dark (sometimes diffused) stripes on side, a dark vertical line on most scales of body, and with a diagonal (or C-shaped) pink to dark red below front of eye; while body of terminal male salmon-pink to orange anteriorly, with 2 longitudinal series of vertical green rectangles, every fourth pair of upper series extending as a single green bar across back, the head orange-brown without bands and caudal fin brownish to greenish, shading distally to pink, the posterior third of rays blue .: fusiform / normal; Cross section: compressed.

🌀 Behaviour

Behavioural data for Christmas wrasse is currently being reviewed.

🦐 Diet

🥚 Reproduction

Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding .

🌍 Habitat & Distribution

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 10 m . Tropical; 30°N - 28°S East Africa to the Pitcairn, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Tonga and Rapa.

🌿 Ecology

📐 Morphometrics

🌡️ Water Parameters & Tolerance

🛡️ Conservation Assessment

📊 Population Risk & Fisheries

🦠 Common Diseases

The following diseases are known to affect Christmas wrasse.

🐠 Related Species

🔍 Similar Species

🗺️ Global Occurrence Map

Occurrence records from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) - 5 records indexed .

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