Kingdom Animalia Order Perciformes Genus Coris Higher classification Coris | Phylum Chordata Family Labridae Scientific name Coris sandeyeri Rank Species | |
Similar Wrasse, Coris, Coris caudimacula, Coris cuvieri | ||
Rainbow wrasse sandager s wrasse
Coris sandeyeri, Sandager's wrasse, is a species of wrasse native to the southwestern Pacific Ocean from Australia to New Zealand and the Kermadec Islands. This species can be found on reefs down to depths of about 60 metres (200 ft). It can reach a length of 25 centimetres (9.8 in) TL. It can also be found in the aquarium trade.
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Behavior
The wrasses live in small shoals consisting of one male and several 'attendant' females and juveniles. In the presence of the male, all juveniles will grow into females, but when the male dies or is removed from the shoal, the group's dominant female then undergoes physiological changes to convert herself into a male. (Greenwood. T., et al, 2012)
Sexual dimorphism
The male fish has a deeper body, and differs significantly in colouration. For example, the male has very distinctive bands, whereas the female is paler in colour and only has 2 dark spots.(Greenwood. T. et al, 2012)
Note on Scientific Name
The difference between the spelling of the scientific name and the common name (the fish was named after Andreas Fleming Stewart Sandager, a lighthouse keeper in New Zealand who collected the first specimen) led to a proposal in 1927 to change the specific epithet to "sandageri" on the theory that the original description constituted a misspelling. In 2011, it was shown that "Sandager" was also spelled "Sandeyer" at that time and thus that the original spelling should stand.