Eight-lined wrasse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eight-lined wrasse |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Labriformes |
| Family: | Labridae |
| Genus: | Pseudocheilinus |
| Species: |
P. octotaenia
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| Binomial name | |
| Pseudocheilinus octotaenia O. P. Jenkins, 1901
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| Synonyms | |
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The eight-lined wrasse (Pseudocheilinus octotaenia) is a colorful fish that lives in the ocean. It's a type of wrasse, which belongs to a big family of fish called Labridae. You can find this fish swimming around coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. They usually live in water from 2 to 50 meters deep. These wrasses love to hide in small spaces and caves on the reef. Sometimes, you might even see them in home aquariums!
Contents
How to Spot an Eight-Lined Wrasse
This wrasse has a body that can be reddish or yellowish. It has about eight thin, purplish stripes running along its sides. Three of these stripes continue onto its head. You might also notice small yellow spots on its cheek and gill cover. Some eight-lined wrasses even have larger yellow marks on their bodies. This fish can grow to be about 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) long.
Where Does the Wrasse Live?
The eight-lined wrasse lives across a wide area of the ocean. You can find it from the Comoros and Seychelles islands in the western Indian Ocean. Its home range stretches all the way to Hawaii and Ducie Island in the Pacific Ocean. It also lives north near the Yaeyama Islands in Japan and south near New Caledonia.
Life on the Reef: Habits and Diet
The eight-lined wrasse lives near the bottom of the ocean. It prefers areas of coral reefs with lots of rubble or living corals. These fish especially like places with caves and cracks. These hiding spots often have plenty of small creatures for them to eat. They can be found in waters as deep as 40 meters (130 feet).
What Does it Eat?
This wrasse is a carnivore, meaning it eats other animals. Its main food source is small crustaceans that live on the ocean floor. It also enjoys eating tiny molluscs, sea urchins, fish eggs, and even crab larvae.
Sleeping in a Cocoon
The eight-lined wrasse is a solitary fish, meaning it lives alone. It is also diurnal, which means it is active during the day. When night comes, this clever fish finds a cozy cavity to sleep in. It then creates a special mucus cocoon around itself. Scientists believe this cocoon helps protect the sleeping fish. It might hide the fish's scent from predators that hunt at night.
The Wrasse and People
The eight-lined wrasse is sometimes kept in home aquariums. However, it is not a very common fish in the pet trade. So far, these fish have not been successfully bred in captivity.
Who Named This Fish?
The eight-lined wrasse was first officially described by an American scientist. His name was Oliver Peebles Jenkins, and he lived from 1850 to 1935. He described this fish in 1901. The first specimen he studied came from Honolulu, which is in Oahu, Hawaii.
