Fun Coris Aygula Facts For Kids

The Coris aygula, or clown coris, is a species of wrasse. They are primarily found in their natural habitat of distribution of marine lagoons and reefs in the Indo-Pacific regions, Red Sea, Japan, Lord Howe Islands, and Australia. The juvenile is white and orange in color, while the adult male is dark green-blue, and the females are yellowish-green in color. The juveniles and adults look very different. The males are easily distinguished by their color and prominent hump on their forehead. These marine fish lay around 1,000 eggs and are oviparous. They are popular as aquarium fish and game fish. They are found at a depth of 6.6-98.4 ft (2-30 m) in the sea.

For more relatable content, check out these rainbow cichlid facts and ladyfish facts for kids.

What type of animal is a Coris aygula?

The Coris aygula, or clown wrasse, is a fish belonging to the genus, species, and family of Coris, aygula, and Labridae, respectively.

What class of animal does a Coris aygula belong to?

The clown Coris aygula is a fish belonging to the class Actinopterygii.

How many Coris aygulas are there in the world?

The exact number of Coris aygula in the world is not known. Judging by the conservation status, there are more than 10,000 mature individuals.

Where does Coris aygula live? 

The Coris aygula is commonly found in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, the Red Sea, Japan, Lord Howe Island, and Australia.

What is Coris aygula's habitat? 

This wrasse species inhabits patches of sand or rocks near reef flats, lagoon reefs, and seaward reefs. The juveniles are found in lagoons and shallow coral reefs.

Who does Coris aygulas live with?

The clown coris (Coris aygula) is a solitary adult but forms loose schools in the breeding season.

How long does a Coris aygula live?

The exact life span of Coris aygula is unknown; similar fish from the wrasse genus, like the humphead wrasse, can live up to 30 years.

How do they reproduce?

These marine fish reproduce sexually by laying eggs. The female releases the eggs, which are fertilized outside the body, and the development of the offspring takes place outside the body. They are seasonal breeders. During spawning, one dominant male oversees a loosely formed group of females. They usually spawn along the outer edge of the reef.

What is their conservation status?

The Coris aygula population is listed as of Least Concern in the IUCN Red List. Their population has seen a less than 10% decrease in the last three generations, or ten years, and has more than 10,000 mature individuals.

What do Coris aygulas look like?

The coris aygula adult female has a white-colored streak in front of the anal fin, absent in males. Their body has light yellow-ish green coloring with small maroon spots, dark-edged scales, and a rounded caudal fin. The adult males are dark green-blue in color, with broad pale-green bars on the middle of the body, a prominent hump on the forehead, and a long pelvic fin. Juvenile and adult are very different visually; juveniles are white with two circular orangish-red spots on their backs and black spots on the dorsal fin. This wrasse species has nine dorsal spines, 12-13 dorsal soft rays, three anal spines, 12 soft anal rays, and 14 pectoral rays.

How cute are they?

The adult fish are not very cute, but the juveniles look very beautiful. The juveniles are common inhabitants of commercial aquariums due to their visual appeal.

How do they communicate?

This marine fish species use the coloration of its body to signal members of their own species or other fish. The changing of colors could be a warning signal or camouflage; there is insufficient information on this topic.

How big is a Coris aygula? 

Coris aygula is 4 ft (1.2 m) in length. It is four times the size of a rockmover wrasse and half the size of a large common dolphin.

How fast can a Coris aygula swim?

The exact speed of Coris aygula is unknown, but the fish is known to live in the ocean at a depth of 6.6-98.4 ft (2-30 m).

How much does a Coris aygula weigh?

The exact weight of a Coris aygula is unknown.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the male and female fish of this species.

What would you call a baby Coris aygula?

There are no specific names for a baby Coris aygula; they are generally referred to as juveniles, babies, or young.

What do they eat? 

The Coris aygula diet consists of shelled mollusks, hermit crabs, sea urchins, and crustaceans. They have a habit of turning over rocks in search of prey. In an aquarium, the diet of this species usually consists of meaty foods like frozen Mysis shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, and marine pellet food.

Are they dangerous?

No, they do not pose any threat to humans. They don't usually prey on small fish either but can feed on them if other food is unavailable.

Would they make a good pet?

Coris aygula are commonly picked up as aquarium fish species but are thrown out once they reach their adult size and coloring. The juveniles are considered attractive and are thus widely sold in pet shops. Since they grow to a large extent, they need a 300 gal (1135 l) tank with fast water. A home aquarium usually does not meet these requirements, and thus, Coris aygula would not make good pets.

Did you know...

This marine Coris aygula is a species of wrasse (Labridae). Wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites, which means that a majority of the members of its population begin their lives as females, and some transform and function as males at a later life stage. The structure of the gonads is an evident difference between the primary males (born as males) and secondary males (born as females). The gonads, in the upper sides of the abdominal cavity, are long, white, and solid in fish born as males. The gonads have a small tubular sperm duct that extends posteriorly to the urogenital opening. In fish born as females, which later transformed into males, the gonads are short, yellowish, thick, and hollow. This difference exists because the gonads in secondary males began as ovaries and were later developed into testes.

The distribution range of the Coris aygula is extensive. It is commonly found in and around the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Red Sea. The species can be spotted frequently near Eastern Africa and Southern Asia. They are found in their natural habitat near Comores, Madagascar, and Ducie Islands, etc. These fish are also found in the north and southern Japan islands like Ryukyu, the Bonin and Ogawawara Islands, and the Lord Howe Islands and Rapa Islands.

Coris aygula are popular as aquarium fish. They can also be used to combat common pests in tanks like pyramid snails. Though it has been noticed that some individuals do not feed on these pyramid snails.

Coris aygula and other wrasses of its family are active during the day. They are usually the first to sleep and the last to wake up. Smaller-sized clown coris dig themselves a few inches deep into the sand, which is why it is advised to keep a sandy substrate of 2-5 in (5-12 cm) in their aquariums. The larger fish usually sleep in rock crevices.

Naming the Coris aygula 

The Coris aygula is known by a multitude of names. Most names refer to one of its distinctive physical characteristics; humphead wrasse, and hump-headed wrasse refer to the prominent hump on the forehead of adult male species. In contrast, the red-blotched rainbowfish and twinspot wrasse refers to the two reddish-orange colored spots on the back of the body of a juvenile. Other names are clown coris, clown wrasse, and false clownwrasse.

Are Coris aygulas reef safe? 

No, Coris aygula cannot be kept in coral reef aquariums as they dig into the sand to sleep and turn over rocks in search of food. This behavior can displace or damage the reefs in the tank. They do not feed on corals and sponges.

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 freshwater butterflyfish facts and bigmouth buffalo fish facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Coris aygula coloring pages.