Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Labridae (Wrasses) > Corinae
Etymology: Thalassoma: Greek, thalassa = the sea + Greek, soma = body; the colour of the sea (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Linnaeus.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 150 m (Ref. 2683), usually 1 - 50 m (Ref. 4742). Subtropical; 18°C - 25°C (Ref. 130600); 46°N - 1°S, 32°W - 36°E
Eastern Atlantic: Portugal to south of Cape Lopez, Gabon and including the islands of Azores, Madeira, Canary, São Tomé and Annobon. Also in the Mediterranean.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 25.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4742); common length : 20.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4742)
Inhabits coastal waters near rocks and eel-grass beds. Usually solitary, sometimes in small groups. Feeds on small mollusks and crustaceans (Ref. 4742). Protogynous hermaphrodite, with distinct sexual dichromatism (Ref. 5292). Eggs are pelagic (Ref. 4742).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Gomon, M.F. and P. Forsyth, 1990. Labridae. p. 868-882. In J.C. Quero, J.C. Hureau, C. Karrer, A. Post and L. Saldanha (eds.) Check-list of the fishes of the eastern tropical Atlantic (CLOFETA). JNICT, Lisbon, SEI, Paris; and UNESCO, Paris. Vol. 2. (Ref. 5292)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: minor commercial; gamefish: yes; aquarium: commercial
Tools
Special reports
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 14.9 - 21.6, mean 18.7 °C (based on 294 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00977 (0.00430 - 0.02222), b=3.05 (2.88 - 3.22), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.7 ±0.20 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (21 of 100).
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Climate Vulnerability (Ref.
125649): Low vulnerability (22 of 100).
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Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 34.5 [16.9, 74.6] mg/100g; Iron = 0.592 [0.326, 1.148] mg/100g; Protein = 19.1 [16.3, 21.3] %; Omega3 = 0.254 [0.146, 0.436] g/100g; Selenium = 16.2 [8.0, 31.0] μg/100g; VitaminA = 76.5 [23.0, 320.5] μg/100g; Zinc = 0.952 [0.615, 1.593] mg/100g (wet weight);
