Clown coris

Clown coris
Juvenile
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Perciformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Coris
Species: C. aygula
Binomial name
Coris aygula
Lacépède, 1801
Synonyms

Several, see text

The clown coris (Coris aygula) is a species of wrasse native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.

Description

This species can reach a total length of 120 cm (47 in). A marked difference in appearance is noted between juveniles and adults; juveniles are white and orange with false eyes on the dorsal fin, while adults are uniformly dark green or with light banding and developing a prominent forehead.[2]

Habitat

C. aygula is an inhabitant of coral reefs where they prefer areas of sand or rubble at depths from 2 to 30 m (6.6 to 98.4 ft). They are generally solitary as adults, while juveniles can often be found in tide pools.[2]

Distribution

This species can be found from the Red Sea and the African coast eastward to the Line Islands and Ducie Island and from southern Japan to Lord Howe Island.[2]

Synonyms

These specific names have been determined to be junior synonyms of C. aygula:[2]

References

  1. Choat, J.H. & Pollard, D. 2010. Coris aygula. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 05 November 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). "Coris aygula" in FishBase. August 2013 version.
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