Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Labridae (Wrasses)
Etymology: Labrus: Name from Latin 'labrum' for lip, rim or edge; referring to the big lips of the fishes of the genus (from Ovid and Pliny according to Petrus Artedi).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 50 m (Ref. 5292), usually 2 - 30 m (Ref. 35388). Temperate; 64°N - 27°N, 32°W - 22°E
Eastern Atlantic: Norway to Morocco, including Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands. Doubtful reports from Mediterranean, Adriatic and Marmara seas (Ref. 4742), where it is often confused with Labrus merula.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 65.9 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 40637); common length : 50.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4742); max. published weight: 4.4 kg (Ref. 40637); max. reported age: 34 years (Ref. 131345)
Body rather massive. Mouth small with thick lips and large conical teeth. Coloration very variable, brownish and greenish predominating (Ref. 35388).
Adults are found in littoral (10-20 m) zone around rocks, offshore reefs, and seaweed. Young often in intertidal areas. All are born females and change sex when they are 4-14 years old (Ref. 35388). One (or more) female spawns in nest of algae, built by male in a crevice. Feed on crustaceans and mollusks (Ref. 4742). Oviparous (Ref. 205).
Eggs are laid in nest built from algae; male guards nest 1-2 weeks until larvae hatch (Ref. 35388); larvae are pelagic.
Quignard, J.-P. and A. Pras, 1986. Labridae. p. 919-942. In P.J.P. Whitehead, M.-L. Bauchot, J.-C. Hureau, J. Nielsen and E. Tortonese (eds.) Fishes of the north-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 4742)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: subsistence fisheries; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Can't connect to MySQL database fbquizv2. Errorcode: Too many connections
