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WRASSE

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 839 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WRASSE , a name given to the fishes of the See also:

family Labridae generally, and more especially to certain members of the family. They are very abundant in the tropical See also:zone, less so in the temperate, and disappear altogether in the See also:Arctic and See also:Antarctic Circles. Their See also:body is generally compressed, like that of a See also:carp, covered with smooth (See also:cycloid) scales; they possess one dorsal fin only, the anterior portion of which consists of numerous spines. Many wrasses are readily recognized by their thick lips, the inside of which is sometimes curiously folded, a peculiarity which has given to them the See also:German name of " See also:lip-fishes." The dentition of their jaws consists of strong conical See also:teeth, of which some in front, and often one at the hinder end of the upper See also:jaw, are larger than the others. But the See also:principal See also:organs with which they crush See also:shell-See also:fish, crustaceans and other hard substances are the solid and strongly-toothed pharyngeal bones, of which the See also:lower are coalesced into a single See also:flat triangular• See also:plate. All wrasses are See also:surface fishes, and rocky parts of the See also:coast overgrown with seaweed are their favourite haunts in the temperate, and See also:coral-reefs in the tropical seas. Some 450 See also:species of wrasses (including See also:parrot-wrasses) are known, chiefly from the tropics. Of the See also:British wrasses the ballan wrasse (Labrus maculatus) and the striped or red or See also:cook wrasse (Labrus mixtus) are the most See also:common. Both belong to the genus Labrus, in which the teeth stand in a single See also:series, and which has a smooth edge of the praeoperculum and only three spines in the anal fin. The ballan wrasse is the larger, attaining to a length of 18 in., and, it is said, to a See also:weight of 8 lb; its See also:colours are singularly variegated, See also:green or brownish, with red and See also:blue lines and spots; the dorsal spines are twenty in number. The cook wrasse offers an instance of well-marked secondary sexual difference—the male being ornamented with blue streaks or a blackish See also:band along the See also:side of the body, whilst the See also:female has two or three large See also:black spots across the back of the tail. This species possesses only from sixteen to eighteen spines in the dorsal fin.

The goldsinny or corkwing (Crenilabrus melops) is much more frequent on the S. coasts of See also:

England and See also:Ireland than farther N., and rarely exceeds a length of to in. As in other wrasses, its colours are beautiful, but variable; but it may be readily distinguished from the two preceding species by the toothed edge of the praeoperculum. The three other British wrasses are much scarcer and more See also:local, viz. See also:Jago's goldsinny (Crenolabrus rupestris), with a large black spot on the anterior dorsal spines and another on the See also:base of the upper caudal rays; Acantholabrus palloni, which is so rarely captured that it lacks a See also:vernacular name, but may be easily recognized by its five anal spines and by the teeth in the jaws forming a band; and the See also:rock-cook (Centro-labrus exoletus), which also has five anal spines, but has the jaws armed with a single series of teeth. On the See also:Atlantic coasts of the N. states of the See also:United States the wrasses are represented by the genus Tautoga. The only species of this genus, known by the names of tautog or blackfish, is much esteemed as See also:food. It is caught in See also:great See also:numbers, and generally sold of a weight of about 2 lb.

End of Article: WRASSE

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