Sharpnose Wrasse, Cheilio inermis (Forsskål 1775)
Other Names: Cigar Wrasse, Quaker, Sharp-nosed Rainbow-fish, Sharp-nosed Wrasse
A Sharpnose Wrasse, Cheilio inermis, at Réunion Island. Source: Philippe Bourjon / Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY Attribution-ShareAlike
Summary:
A very slender wrasse with a long snout and large lips. Juveniles are mottled green to brown, usually with a broad dark mid-lateral stripe. Large males often develop bright yellow, orange, black, white, or multicolored blotches on the sides. Some individuals are uniformly bright yellow.
Cite this page as:
Bray, D.J. 2018, Cheilio inermis in Fishes of Australia, accessed 17 Sep 2024, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1919
Sharpnose Wrasse, Cheilio inermis (Forsskål 1775)
More Info
Distribution |
Rottnest Island to the Dapier Archipelago and offshore reefs of Western Australia, Ashmore Reef, Timor Sea, and the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, to Sydney, New South Wales; also at Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, and the Lord Howe Island region and Norfolk Island in the Tasman Sea. Elsewhere the species is widespread in the tropical, Indo-west-central Pacific. Usually inhabits seagrass beds and algal-covered reef flats in depths to 30 m. |
Feeding |
Carnivore - feeds mostly on hard-shelled invertebrates including molluscs, crustaceans and sea urchins. |
Species Citation |
Labrus inermis Forsskål, 1775. Descriptiones animalium: 34. Type locality: Mocha, Red Sea. |
Author |
Bray, D.J. 2018 |
Resources |
Sharpnose Wrasse, Cheilio inermis (Forsskål 1775)
References
Allen, G.R. 1993. Fishes of Ashmore Reef and Cartier Island. Records of the Western Australian Museum, Supplement 44: 67-91
Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine Fishes of Tropical Australia and South-east Asia. Perth : Western Australian Museum 292 pp. 106 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp.
Allen, G.R., Hoese, D.F., Paxton, J.R., Randall, J.E., Russell, B.C., Starck, W.A., Talbot, F.H. & Whitley, G.P. 1976. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum 30(15): 365-454 figs 1-2
Allen, G.R. & Smith-Vaniz, W.F. 1994. Fishes of Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin 412: 1-21.
Allen, G.R. & Swainston, R. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Perth, WA : Western Australian Museum vi 201 pp., 70 pls.
Allen, G.R. & Steene, R.C. 1988. Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island : Christmas Island Natural History Association 197 pp.
Cheung, W.W.L., Sadovy, Y. & Liu, M. 2010. Cheilio inermis. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2.
Forsskål, P. 1775. Descriptiones animalium avium, amphibiorum, piscium, insectorum, vermium; quae in itinere orientali observavit Petrus Forskål. Post mortem auctoris edidit Carsten Niebuhr. Adjuncta est materia medica kahirina atque tabula maris rubri geographica. Hauniae : Mölleri 1-20 + i-xxxiv + 1-164, 43, pls.
Francis, M.P. 1991. Additions to the Fish Faunas of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, Southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 45(2): 204-220.
Francis, M. 1993. Checklist of the coastal fishes of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and Kermadec Islands, southwest Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 47(2): 136-170.
Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. & Kailola, P.J. 1984. Trawled Fishes of Southern Indonesia and Northwest Australia. Jakarta : Dir. Gen. Fish. (Indonesia), German Tech. Coop., Aust. Dev. Ass. Bur. 406 pp.
Grant, E.M. 1975. Guide to Fishes. Brisbane : Queensland Government, Co-ordinator General’s Department 640 pp.
Hanel, R., Westneat, M.W. & Sturmbauer, C. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships, evolution of broodcare behavior, and geographic speciation in the wrasse Tribe Labrini. J. Molec. Evol. 55: 776-789.
Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical reef-fishes of the western Pacific Indonesia and adjacent waters. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta. 314 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. & Tonozuka, T. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidae - Callionymidae. Australia : Zoonetics pp. 304-622.