Description: A small labrid fish, oval and laterally compressed. Small mouth, with a single row of small canine-like teeth. Scaly, including on the head and base of soft portion of dorsal and anal fin. Single long-based dorsal fin, with spines and soft rays. Males are green with a red snout whereas females are brownish. Body scales with a dark spot. A round spot on the middle of the caudal fin.
Global Distribution: Atlantic: Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Also in the Mediterranean. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum length 18.0 cm (total length); common length 10.0 cm (standard length). Canary Islands (González et al. 2000): older specimens often surpass 20 cm length.
Reproduction: Oviparous. Form distinct pairs during breeding. Males build large dish shaped nests using rocks and algae, which are both sturdy and soft, and guard the eggs.
Maturity:
Behavioural ecology:
Population structure & migrations:
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: FishBase: 5 - 15 m.
Habitat: Reef-associated. Adults are found in the littoral area, near rocks and seagrass beds.
Feeding habits: Feeds on benthic invertebrates.
Trophic level: FishBase: 3.5
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Minor commercial species.
Conservation status: Global: Least concern.
Europe: Least concern.
Carpenter K.E., ed. (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Volume 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae), sea turtles and marine mammals. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists Special Publication No. 5. FAO, Rome, pp. 1375-2127.
González J., Hernández C., Marrero P., Rapp E. (2000). Peces de Canarias: GuÃa Submarina (5th edition). Francisco Lemus Editor, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canarias, Spain, 235 pp.
Hureau J.-C., ed. (1984-1985). Fishes of the North-Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. UNESCO. Accessed through: Marine Species Identification Portal. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://species-identification.org (2014).
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Nieto A., Ralph G.M., Comeros-Raynal M.T., Kemp J., GarcÃa Criado M., Allen D.J., Dulvy N.K., Walls R.H.L., Russell B., Pollard D., GarcÃa S., Craig M., Collette B.B., Pollom R., Biscoito M., Labbish Chao N., Abella A., Afonso P., Ãlvarez H., Carpenter K.E., Clò S., Cook R., Costa M.J., Delgado J., Dureuil M., Ellis J.R., Farrell E.D., Fernandes P., Florin A-B., Fordham S., Fowle, S., Gil de Sola L., Gil Herrera J., Goodpaster A., Harvey M., Heessen H., Herler J., Jung A., Karmovskaya E., Keskin C., Knudsen S.W., Kobyliansky S., KovaÄić M., Lawson J.M., Lorance P., McCully Phillips S., Munroe T., Nedreaas K., Nielsen J., Papaconstantinou C., Polidoro B., Pollock C.M., Rijnsdorp A.D., Sayer C., Scott J., Serena F., Smith-Vaniz W.F., Soldo A., Stump E., Williams J.T. (2015). Europen Red List of Marine Fishes. IUCN and European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 90 pp.
