Labrus
Genus of fishes
Labrus is a genus of wrasses native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean and Black seas.
01Biology
Like most wrasses, Labrus species are protogynous, and can undergo sex change from female to male. The form of protogyny differs between species, e.g., Labrus bergylta is monandric (all fish are born female but can develop into males), while Labrus mixtus is diandric (individuals can be born either male or female, and females can develop into males). L. mixtus is sexually dimorphic in colouration, while L. bergylta is not.
02Species
The four currently recognized species in this genus are:
| Species | Common name | Terminal phase |
|---|---|---|
| Labrus bergylta
Ascanius, 1767 |
Ballan wrasse | |
| Labrus merula | brown wrasse | |
| Labrus mixtus | cuckoo wrasse | |
| Labrus viridis | green wrasse |
03Fossil record
Fossils of Labrus are found from the Eocene to the Quaternary (age range: from 55.8 to 0.781 million years ago.). They are known from various localities of France, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Labrus”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Labrus mixtus, Mindlandet, Tjøtta, 18, NO imported from iNaturalist photo 403800737 (cropped).jpg by (c) ragnvald, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0
- Labridae - Labrus valencennesii.JPG by Hectonichus, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.