Fishes of Australia Logo
  • Home
  • About Fishes
  • Browse Classification
  • Identifying Fishes
  • Fishes and People
  • Gallery
Wrasses, parrotfishes, weed whitings banner
  • Classification
  • ACTINOPTERYGII
  • PERCIFORMES
  • LABRIDAE
  • Fish Classification

  • Class

    ACTINOPTERYGII Ray-finned fishes
  • Order

    PERCIFORMES Perches and allies
  • Family

    LABRIDAE Wrasses
  • Genera

    Achoerodus(2) Anampses(9) Austrolabrus(1) Bodianus(24) Bolbometopon(1) Calotomus(2) Cetoscarus(1) Cheilinus(5) Cheilio(1) Chlorurus(12) Choerodon(19) Cirrhilabrus(17) Coris(11) Cymolutes(2) Decodon(1) Diproctacanthus(1) Dotalabrus(2) Epibulus(2) Eupetrichthys(1) Gomphosus(1) Haletta(1) Halichoeres(21) Hemigymnus(2) Heteroscarus(1) Hipposcarus(2) Hologymnosus(4) Iniistius(8) Labrichthys(1) Labroides(3) Labropsis(3) Leptojulis(1) Leptoscarus(1) Macropharyngodon(5) Neoodax(1) Notolabrus(5) Novaculichthys(1) Novaculoides(1) Novaculops(2) Olisthops(1) Ophthalmolepis(1) Oxycheilinus(6) Paracheilinus(4) Pictilabrus(3) Pseudocheilinus(4) Pseudocoris(4) Pseudodax(1) Pseudojuloides(4) Pseudolabrus(4) Pteragogus(3) Scarus(22) Siphonognathus(6) Stethojulis(4) Suezichthys(7) Terelabrus(1) Thalassoma(10) Wetmorella(2) Xenojulis(1) Xiphocheilus(0)
  • Summary
  • More Info
  • References

Family LABRIDAE


Common name: Wrasses, parrotfishes, weed whitings

Silhouette

prev next
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
  • identify fish
Summary:

A large family of mostly long, slender colourful fishes with a single long-based dorsal fin, well-developed pectoral fins used for swimming, thick lips, jaws with well-developed canine teeth and cycloid scales. Many species are protogynous hermaphrodites, changing sex from female to male during their life cycle, and most species have at least two sex-related colour forms.

Parrotfishes (formerly in the family Scaridae) occur throughout tropical and temperate reef habitats. They are important for reef ecosystems by removing algae and bioeroding the reef as they graze.

Image Gallery

prev next