Sealife guideThe ornate wrasseThalassoma pavo
Last updated on 08/19/2024 at 10:17 PM
Taxonomy
- Common name: Ornate wrasse, Turkish wrasse
- French name: Girelle paon
- Scientific name: Thalassoma pavo (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Family name: Labridae
- Order name: Perciformes
- Class name: Actinopterygii
Description
The ornate wrasse measures around 6 inches with a maximum length of 10 inches. The ornate wrasse is a fish with an elongated body.
The ornate wrasse is a brightly colored fish whose livery varies according to its sex:
- The color of the dorsal part of the female's body varies from brownish to orange, interspersed with 5 to 6 bright blue vertical stripes
- The male's body color is entirely greenish with a bright blue border
Geographic range
The ornate wrasse is found along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern Atlantic Ocean.
Habitat
The ornate wrasse is a mostly solitary fish that sometimes lives in small groups. It lives near rocky bottoms and Posidonia seagrass beds.
The ornate wrasse is primarily found from the surface down to about 164 feet deep.
Diet
The ornate wrasse feeds mainly on small invertebrates such as
crustaceans,
mollusks and worms, which it finds on the surface of rock faces.
Reproduction
The ornate wrasse is a
hermaphroditic fish, sometimes born female, sometimes male.
Did you know ?
The ornate wrasse is listed as many other marine species within The
IUCN Red List of threatened species. The ornate wrasse appears in the
IUCN Red List since 2010 within the category Least Concern !
Tips for observing
The male ornate wrasse is a sedentary fish and you'll have no trouble finding it in its territory once discovered and observed.
Within the same genus
Jansen's wrasse
(Thalassoma jansenii)
Klunzinger's wrasse
(Thalassoma rueppellii)
Moon wrasse
(Thalassoma lunare)
Saddle wrasse
(Thalassoma duperrey)
Sixbar wrasse
(Thalassoma hardwicke)
Sunset wrasse
(Thalassoma lutescens)
Surge wrasse
(Thalassoma purpureum)
Within the same family
Abudjubbe wrasse
(Cheilinus abudjubbe)
African coris
(Coris cuvieri)
Axilspot hogfish
(Bodianus axillaris)
Blackbelt hogfish
(Bodianus mesothorax)
Blackspot razorfish
(Iniistius dea)
Bluelined wrasse
(Stethojulis albovittata)
Rosy razorfish
(Xyrichtys martinicensis)
Yellowhead wrasse
(Halichoeres garnoti)
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(Rhinogobiops nicholsii)
Blackspotted rubberlips
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(Chaetodon paucifasciatus)
French grunt
(Haemulon flavolineatum)
Glasseye snapper
(Heteropriacanthus cruentatus)
Gold-spotted rabbitfish
(Siganus punctatus)
Yellowmask surgeonfish
(Acanthurus mata)
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Blotched picarel
(Spicara maena)
Common octopus
(Octopus vulgaris)
Dotted sea slug
(Peltodoris atromaculata)
Hatpin sea urchin
(Centrostephanus longispinus)
Painted comber
(Serranus scriba)
Spiny starfish
(Marthasterias glacialis)
White seabream
(Diplodus sargus)
Wide-eyed flounder
(Bothus podas)
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