Wrasse (Symphodus tinca) | Fish of the Mediterranean

🐟 Description & Characteristics

The Wrasse, which is also widely known as the Peacock Wrasse, the Green Wrasse, or the Brown Wrasse, is one of the most colourful and common fish of the regional seas. It belongs to the large family of Labridae, which also includes the rainbow wrasse and the parrotfish. Its name is derived from its fleshy and large lips, which represent its most characteristic feature. The body is oval and covered with large cycloid scales. There is a wide variety of species and colours, with the most common being as follows. The Peacock Wrasse is the most common species; males have a flamboyant yellow-green colour with red and blue spots, while females are greyish. The Green Wrasse has an elongated body and an intense emerald-green colour with white spots, which allows it to blend into the seaweed. The Brown Wrasse has a dark brown or black colour and lives in deeper rocky spots. All these fish exhibit strong sexual dimorphism. The males are true works of art, with iridescent colours and complex patterns on their heads, while the females have camouflage colours in brown or olive to hide among the rocks.

🌊 Habitat

This is a purely coastal benthic species. It lives in shallow waters, usually between 1 and 50 metres deep. It loves rich seabeds, including areas with dense vegetation and Posidonia seagrass meadows, as well as rocky bottoms with stones and crevices. It is a diurnal fish. At night, it exhibits a unique behaviour, sleeping deeply while lying on its side among the rocks or wrapped in seaweed.

🦐 Diet

It is a carnivorous fish. It has strong, slightly protruding teeth and pharyngeal teeth in its throat, which it uses to crack the shells of its prey. It feeds mainly on bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as sea urchins, small crabs, shrimp and sea snails.

🐣 Reproduction

Reproduction of the Wrasse is impressive and occurs in the spring, from March to June. Most species are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning they are born female and become male. The male Peacock Wrasse builds an elaborate nest from seaweed, which it carries with its mouth and sticks together with a special mucus. Then it performs an impressive dance to attract females to lay eggs in the nest. After fertilising the eggs, the male remains there and aggressively guards them until they hatch.

🎣 Fisheries & Value

It is easily caught with every coastal method, such as handlines, rod and line, traps and trammel nets, and it is the fish children most often catch in harbours. It has low commercial value and is rarely sold in large markets. In the kitchen, though, it is a hidden treasure. It has many bones and its flesh is soft and falls apart easily, but the wrasse is the secret of the perfect kakavia fish soup: its flavour is remarkably rich and gives the broth a unique depth and body. Large Peacock Wrasses are also eaten fried.

🔬 Significant Research Findings

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies most species of Wrasse as Least Concern, although the Green Wrasse is considered Vulnerable due to the destruction of Posidonia meadows. Scientific studies have discovered the existence of sneaker males or satellite males. These are small males that have the colour of females, so that the dominant male does not attack them. They enter the nest secretly at the time of mating and fertilise the eggs while stealing paternity.

🌍 Mediterranean Local Names

Country	Local Name
Italy	Tordo pavone or Tordo nero
Spain	Tordo or Merlo
France	Labre vert
Croatia	Vrana or Drozd
Turkey	Çırçır balığı
Tunisia	Kheddir
Libya	Abukheder
Egypt	Khoddair
Cyprus	Skaromana
Greece	Cheilou or Lampina

🪝 Caught With

Baits whose guide names this species among its targets.

Mediterranean Limpet

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