Wrasse

This group has some of the most colourful and spectacular wrasse, but... if the males are not displaying in the the afternoon sun, the colours are fairly dull in ambient light. The Flasher Story gives insight to their spectacular displays.

Fairy (Cirrhilabris) and Flasher (Paracheilinus) are regarded as stilll evolving due to their extreme variabilty and ability to hybridise. Most are specialised zooplankton feeders, being able to select specific prey due to an extra lens they have in front of their eyes.

The other genera in this wrasse group (Pseudocheilines) are less colourful and more secretive. Six- and Eight-lined Wrasses belong here.

These wrasse are highly specialised feeders. Cleaner Wrasse and some juvenile Tubelip Wrasse pick parasites, loose scales and pieces of skin off their "customers". Adult Tubelip Wrasse are coral polyp feeders.

Cleaner wrasse often work in pairs and stay around a particular rock or cave, a "cleaner station". These stations are visited by regular customers as well as transient visitors. The wrasse have a particular "dance" that ensures their customers realise they perform a service and are not food.

Napoleon Wrasse, the larges of all wrasses at 2 meters long and 200kg in weight belongs to this large subfamily. Some of the smallest wrasse species also belong here.

Napoleon Wrasse are massively overfished, particularly large adult males, to the extent that they are becoming increasingly difficult to see.

All are found in invertebrate rich habitats, so coral/algal rubble habitats, drop-offs etc. Some species like Cheilinus fasciatus can be seen together with other wrasse and goatfish in mixed feeding groups.

They mostly have muted colours, though Oxychielinus bimaculatus males are spectacular in their nuptual display colours.

Bodianus is the largest genus of this group of wrasse. They are reef-dwellers, hiding in crevices when danger threatens. A number of species are cleaner fish as well as feeding on other invertebrates.

The subfamily here is Hypsigenyines.

Razorfish get their name from their very compressed bodies. Living in open sand areas or rubble areas where they clear away rubble in selected patches, they dive into the sand at the first sign of danger. Through vibrating their keel-shaped head and body they can swim through sand for short distances. This does not save them from dolphins that can detect them under the sand with sonar, or from sharks that find them through changes in the electric fields they generate.

Rockmover Wrasse take the rock moving habit a step further. Often working in pairs, while one turns over a large rock, the other grabs anything that tries to escape.

The young of this subfamily (Novaculines), look and behave much like leaves floating across the bottom.

The colourful parrotfish are all day-active. Some species produce a thick, gelatinous covering over their body at night. It is thought that this camoflages their scent and may protect them from parasites.

There are two broad groups.

The "excavators" that have strong enough jaws that their "teeth" leave gouge marks on coral and rock surfaces. Algae growing on rock is their primary diet. Humphead Parrotfish however have a high percentage of coral polyps in their diet. Humpheads can produce 90kg coral sand through excreting the ground up coral skeletons.

"Scrapers" do not leave scrape marks on rocks but still consume encrusting algae or sponges.

Their feeding habits help to keep coral reefs free of organisms that would otherwise smother corals.

As with wrasses, the colouration of juveniles, males and females often varies widely.