THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

172 A Docent Field Guide to the Species of the Steinhart Aquarium
Advertise their services with an undulating
“invitation dance.”
Mimicked by the fin and scale nipping blenny
Aspidontus taeniatus, the bogus cleaner wrasse.
Star of the movie Shark Tale.
Leopard Wrasse
Macropharyngodon meleagris (Labridae)
Wrasses
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Eastern Indian
Ocean to western Pacific and the islands of
Oceania.
Habitat: Subtidal reefs and outer lagoons, at
depths of 0–30 meters.
Appearance: Sexual dichromism. Females are
white with black or brown irregular spots with
white to blue margins over the body. Males
have orangey-red background with green
mottling. Max. length: 15 cm.
Diet: Gastropods, other hard-shelled prey and
foraminiferans.
Remarks: Wrasses can be recognized by
their characteristic swimming pattern. Their
pectoral fins move up and down in a “flying”
motion.
Señorita Wrasse
Oxyjulis californica (Labridae)
Wrasses
Distribution: Salt Point, northern California
to south-central Baja California.
Habitat: Found in kelp and other seaweeds and
over rocky reefs, usually at shallow depths.
Appearance: Cigar-shaped fish with large
scales and protruding teeth. Orange to brownish,
a few are more pink or yellow. Large black
marking at base of caudal fin.
Diet: Feeds during the day on small invertebrates;
on occasion acts as a cleaner, picking parasites
from other fishes. Known to clean giant sea
bass, garibaldi, kelpfish, and many other fishes.
Juveniles feed on plankton and pick hydroids
and other small food items off algae.
Reproduction and Development: Oviparous;
pelagic spawner. Unlike most wrasses, they do
not change sex.
Mortality/Longevity: Eaten by birds, such as
Brandt’s cormorants, and sea lions.
Live about 7 years and grow to about 25 cm.
Remarks: Popular in the aquarium trade.
At night, señoritas seek out a nearby sandy
area and bury themselves with a headfirst dive
into the sand, ultimately sleeping with head
protruding.
Red-tailed Flasher Wrasse
Paracheilinus rubricaudalis (Labridae)
Wrasses
Distribution: Western Central Pacific: Fiji and
Vanuatu.
Habitat: Coral reefs, depths to 45 m.
Appearance: Adults reach 2 to 3 inches in
length. The species has a red tail and a broad
red zone with a single filament on its dorsal
fin. Males have a reddish area on their distal
anal fin. The reddish stripes on their sides turn
whitish and their body becomes bright yellow
while they are displaying. Males from Fiji
have a narrow bluish vertical stripe on their
caudal fin that is never seen on specimens from
Vanuatu. The color of the female is subdued
compared to the brilliance of the male.
Diet: Plankton feeders; need to feed often
(three times a day) in captivity.
Reproduction: Like all Paracheilinus species,
the red-tailed flasher wrasse is a protogynous
hermaphrodite. All specimens are born as
females and the dominant females develop
into males when there is a shortage of males.
The dominant female will for instance develop
into a male if the male in her group falls prey
to a predatory fish. The transformation from
female to male can take as little as 10–14 days.
Flasher wrasses scatter their eggs in the open
water. The actual spawning is preceded by a
“dance” where the male follows the female
until both fish rapidly swim upward into the
water column and simultaneous release egg
and milt. The eggs and larvae are carried by
the current until the fry become free swimming
and make their way to the bottom.
Remarks: First described in 2003.
John E. McCosker, Academy Senior Curator
and former Steinhart Aquarium Director, is the
ichthyologist credited for naming members of
the genus Paracheilinus “flasher wrasses,” the
common name derived from male’s brilliant
“flashing” behavior, or rapid color changes,
observed during courting and mating.
Flasher wrasses create a mucous cocoon over
their bodies for sleeping.