Fun Green Wrasse Facts For Kids
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The green wrasse, also known as green coris wrasse or pastel-green wrasse, has several interchangeable names. This fish belongs to the wrasse family of Labridae and is famously sold as reef aquarium fish due to its beauty and usefulness in a tank.
The pastel-green wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) is found among the corals in the waters of central and western Pacific, eastern Indian Ocean, Indonesia, and in Queensland, Australia. This fish is a carnivore and the diet of this fish species consists of meaty foods such as flatworms, pyramid snails, Mysis shrimp, sea urchins, and other small mollusks or crustaceans.
The pastel-green wrasse reef safe status mentions caution because this species can threaten other crustaceans and mollusks. In addition, even though they reproduce like normal fish, they are hermaphroditic and can choose to swap sexes when needed. The green coris wrasse population has not shown drastic fluctuations, so the IUCN has given it a Least Concern status.
If your kids enjoy reading about wrasses, check out the rockmover wrasse and wrasse fact pages.
Green Wrasse Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a green wrasse?
The pastel-green wrasse or green coris wrasse is a fish species found in several coral reefs, especially the Great Barrier Reef.
What class of animal does a green wrasse belong to?
The pastel-green wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus), along with other ray-finned and bony fish, belongs to the class of Actinopterygii.
How many green wrasses are there in the world?
The exact number is unknown. However, the pastel-green wrasse, or green coris wrasse, has a significant population in their natural habitat and they are popularly circulated as reef aquarium fish.
Where does a green wrasse live?
The pale green wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) is found in the central and western Pacific Ocean, eastern Indian Ocean, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia.
What is a green wrasse's habitat?
The pastel-green wrasse is found in a neritic marine habitat among inshore waters or coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef, inter-reef rubble and gravel, or just corals.
Who do green wrasses live with?
The green coris wrasse does not have specific living patterns. This fish species lives naturally among other reef animals.
How long does a green wrasse live?
The exact lifespan of the pastel-green wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) is unknown. However, wrasses usually have a lifespan between five to seven years. It was recorded that humphead wrasses can live up to 30 years!
How do they reproduce?
The pastel-green wrasse fish belongs to the Labridae family and shows similar reproductive behavior. They are protogynous hermaphrodites and they can change their sex whenever required.
They never have the same sex organs simultaneously. Although most wrasse species follow the harem mating system, the male and female green wrasse form monogamous pairing bonds during the breeding season. These fish reproduce through broadcast spawning and fertilize their eggs externally.
The female lays a large number of planktonic eggs that are spread around by tidal currents and fertilized by adult males. The males never come into contact with the offspring.
What is their conservation status?
The green coris wrasse or pastel-green wrasse species has been given the Least Concern status by the IUCN.
Green Wrasse Fun Facts
What do green wrasses look like?
Also known as the pastel-green wrasse (green coris wrasse), the male and female of this fish species show partial dimorphism. The male has a fusiform body with shiny, pastel green cycloid scales.
The male has neon pink or yellow squiggly stripes that extend over the snout, eyes, and back along with a dark spot across its anal fin.
The female's description shows similar color patterns with mauve hues but also has a dark black blotch on its dorsal and posterior side along with whitish underparts. The female also has several blackish spots on the side and a thin, dark stripe on the base of the pectoral fin.
The green wrasse dorsal fin extends over almost the entire length of its back, with a truncate caudal fin like most benthic fish.
The hues on their scales are brighter in algae-rich waters but dull with dark longitudinal bands in plain rubble waters. A juvenile green coris wrasse is pale, translucent green without the ocelli present in the adult green wrasse.
How cute are they?
The green coris wrasse may not appeal to some because of its slimy, fishy body. However, the green coris wrasse looks cute because of its pointy snout and vibrant neon color patterns.
How do they communicate?
The communication patterns of the pastel-green Wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) have not been recorded. Their behavior description has been reported as docile, but they can get aggressive around similar fish. When kept in an aquarium, it is important to ensure the tank size is sufficient to avoid them from being aggressive due to inadequate space.
How big is a green wrasse?
The maximum length of the green wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) is 7.5 in (19 cm), which is the same as an adult green sunfish.
How fast can a green wrasse swim?
The speed at which green coris wrasses swim is unknown.
How much does a green wrasse weigh?
Although the pastel-green wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) species is a popular aquarium fish, its weight has not been recorded.
What are the male and female names of the species?
Male and female pastel-green wrasse (green wrasse) share the same colloquial and scientific name. However, they can be called by several other names such as the dark-blotch wrasse, green coris wrasse, black-botched wrasse, green-spotted wrasse, and black-botched rainbowfish.
What would you call a baby green wrasse?
The babies of the pastel-green wrasse (green coris wrasses) are called juveniles.
What do they eat?
The black-botched wrasse (pastel-green wrasse) has a carnivorous diet and is known to feed on crustaceans, mollusks, small fish, and zooplankton. Their diet includes meaty foods such as Mysis shrimp, flatworms, sea urchin, and pyramid snails. When kept in an aquarium, some of their popular tank food includes crabs, shrimp, krill, cyclops, and pods.
Are they aggressive?
According to the behavioral description of the green coris wrasse, it is quite docile but can become aggressive in the presence of similar fish or if it is kept in a small tank size.
Would they make a good pet?
Yes, the green coris wrasse is a famous aquarium fish but requires a higher care level than regular tank fish. Wrasses require a 1056 gal (4000 L) reef aquarium with mixed corals and a water temperature of around 78.8 F (26 C).
This species survives well in pairs and helps to curb pyramid snails and flatworms in the tank. The tank must be kept closed because green coris wrasses are known to jump out.
Did you know...
The green coris wrasse loves nibbling on sea urchins.
Are green wrasses hardy?
The pastel-green wrasse (Halichoeres chloropterus) is average on the hardiness scale.
Do wrasse fish bury themselves?
The green coris wrasse dig and bury a portion of themselves in the ground when they are afraid or sleepy. That is why it is important to layer the bottom of the fish tank with sand substrate.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other fish from our pumpkinseed sunfish facts and channel catfish facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable green wrasse coloring pages.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia StoneBachelor of Arts specializing in French with Film Studies, Bachelor of Arts (Year Abroad) specializing in Literature, History, Language, Media, and Art
Georgia is an experienced Content Manager with a degree in French and Film Studies from King's College London and Bachelors degree from Université Paris-Sorbonne. Her passion for exploring the world and experiencing different cultures was sparked during her childhood in Switzerland and her year abroad in Paris. In her spare time, Georgia enjoys using London's excellent travel connections to explore further afield.
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