Thalassoma noronhanum
Encyclopedia
Thalassoma norohanum, or the Noronha wrasse, is a species of fish
in the Labridae family.
Classification / Names
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Labridae (Wrasses) > Corinae
Size / Weight / Age
Max length : 13.3 cm SL male/unsexed;
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 60 m (Ref. 49354), usually 2 - 5 m (Ref. 40101)
Climate / Range
Tropical
Biology Glossary
Generally a plankton-eater. Found on deep reefs (40-60 m), where it is recorded inside the lumen of tubular sponges. At Fernando de Noronha and Trindade Islands, groups of 10-450 initial-phase individuals clean other fishes in the water column close to the reef bottom and pinnacles. Also at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, juveniles follow foraging green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and pick off particles stirred from the bottom by the turtle’s activity. Fish clients include about 20 species of surgeonfishes, damselfishes, parrotfishes, grunts, and even small groupers such as coneys. Occasionally, a coney (Cephalopholis fulva) preys on isolated Noronha wrasses out and away from the cleaning stations. Coastal individuals were never recorded cleaning. Strictly diurnal, this wrasse is one of the last reef fishes to emerge from nocturnal shelters and one of the first to retreat. Initial-phase individuals are predominantly dark-brown and white, whereas terminal-phase males are blue and purple. A group-spawner throughout the year, adult females form harems dominated by a few terminal-phase males. Pair spawning is also recorded for this wrasse. Traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil.
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the Labridae family.
Classification / Names
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes (Perch-likes) > Labridae (Wrasses) > Corinae
Size / Weight / Age
Max length : 13.3 cm SL male/unsexed;
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 0 - 60 m (Ref. 49354), usually 2 - 5 m (Ref. 40101)
Climate / Range
Tropical
Biology Glossary
Generally a plankton-eater. Found on deep reefs (40-60 m), where it is recorded inside the lumen of tubular sponges. At Fernando de Noronha and Trindade Islands, groups of 10-450 initial-phase individuals clean other fishes in the water column close to the reef bottom and pinnacles. Also at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, juveniles follow foraging green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and pick off particles stirred from the bottom by the turtle’s activity. Fish clients include about 20 species of surgeonfishes, damselfishes, parrotfishes, grunts, and even small groupers such as coneys. Occasionally, a coney (Cephalopholis fulva) preys on isolated Noronha wrasses out and away from the cleaning stations. Coastal individuals were never recorded cleaning. Strictly diurnal, this wrasse is one of the last reef fishes to emerge from nocturnal shelters and one of the first to retreat. Initial-phase individuals are predominantly dark-brown and white, whereas terminal-phase males are blue and purple. A group-spawner throughout the year, adult females form harems dominated by a few terminal-phase males. Pair spawning is also recorded for this wrasse. Traded as an aquarium fish at Ceará, Brazil.