Richmond's wrasse facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richmond's wrasse |
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The Halichoeres richmondi, also known as the Richmond's wrasse or chain-lined wrasse, is a colorful fish. It belongs to the wrasse family and lives in the central Indo-Pacific ocean.
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What Does the Richmond's Wrasse Look Like?
The Richmond's wrasse is a small fish. It can grow up to about 19 centimeters (7.5 inches) long.
It has a long, thin body. Its mouth is at the very front, and its snout is a bit pointy. Its colors change a bit as it gets older.
Young Fish and Females
Young Richmond's wrasse (juveniles) and females have a light blue-green body. They have many bright orange stripes along their sides.
They also have two black eye-like spots, called ocelli. One spot is near the base of its tail. The other is in the middle of its top fin (dorsal fin). There's also a black spot on the front part of its top fin. Young fish and females both have an orange bottom fin (anal fin).
Adult Males
Adult male Richmond's wrasse look quite different. Their body is greenish with many blue lines that look like chains. Their head curves inward a little and is green-brown. The edges of their top, tail, and bottom fins are blue.
Where Does the Chain-Lined Wrasse Live?
The chain-lined wrasse lives in the warm, tropical and subtropical waters of the central Indo-Pacific. You can find it from Indonesia to the Philippines. It also lives from the Solomon Islands all the way up to southern Japan.
This wrasse prefers shallow waters. It lives in lagoons and channels that have lots of soft corals. You can find it swimming down to about 12 meters (40 feet) deep.
What Does It Eat?
The chain-lined wrasse usually lives and eats in small, loose groups. It is a benthic predator, which means it hunts for food on or in the seafloor.
It mainly eats small ocean creatures without backbones. These include tiny crustaceans (like crabs and shrimp), molluscs (like snails), worms, and echinoderms (like sea stars).
How Does It Grow?
Like many wrasse, the chain-lined wrasse is a protogynous hermaphrodite. This is a fancy way of saying that all individuals start their lives as females. Later, some of them can change and become males.
Is the Richmond's Wrasse Endangered?
People sometimes catch this fish for the aquarium trade. However, experts do not think it is threatened. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists it as "Least Concern" (LC). This means it is not in danger of disappearing.
How Did It Get Its Name?
The Halichoeres richmondi was first described in 1928. Two American fish scientists, Henry Weed Fowler and Barton Appler Bean, gave it its scientific name. They found the first fish in Inamucan Bay in the Philippines.
The specific name, richmondi, honors a bird scientist named Charles Wallace Richmond. He worked at the United States National Museum.
