ANIMAL SPECIES:Comb Wrasse, Coris picta (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)
The Comb Wrasse occurs in coastal and offshore rocky reefs in Australia and New Zealand.
Mature male and female fish look similar, but within seconds males can assume a territorial or display colouration in which the black stripe disappears.
Identification
The Comb Wrasse has a pointed snout and an elongate body that is covered with ctenoid (view scale pages) scales.
Adults have a broad mid-lateral black stripe with comb-like extensions ventrally, hence the common name. Mature male and female fish look similar, but within seconds males can assume a territorial or display colouration in which the black stripe disappears.
Juveniles resemble Striped Cleaner Wrasse (view fact sheet), a species well known for feeding on parasites of larger fishes. Juvenile Comb Wrasse can also pick parasites off larger fishes. Other species of fishes also feed in this way. View the fact sheets for the Eastern Cleaner Clingfish and Axilspot Hogfish.
Size range
The Comb Wrasse grows to 24 cm in length.Distribution
It occurs in coastal and offshore rocky reefs in Australia and New Zealand.
In Australia the Comb Wrasse is known from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales.
Distribution by collection data
Biomaps map of Comb Wrasse specimens in the Australian Museum collection.
Classification
- Species:
- picta
- Genus:
- Coris
- Family:
- Labridae
- Order:
- Perciformes
- Class:
- Actinopterygii
- Subphylum:
- Vertebrata
- Phylum:
- Chordata
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
References
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2002. Fairy and Rainbow Wrasses and their Relatives. A Comprehensive Guide to Selected Labroids. TMC Publishing. Pp. 208.
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A Comb Wrasse at Magic Point View full size
Ákos Lumnitzer
© Ákos Lumnitzer
A juvenile Comb Wrasse at North Solitary Island View full size
Ian Shaw
© Ian Shaw
A juvenile Comb Wrasse at Jervis Bay View full size
Erik Schlögl
© Erik Schlögl
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