Relevant synonyms None Misidentification None Meristic formula D, XVIII-XX + 5-7; A, IV-VI +6-8; P, 10-13; V, I +5; LL, 33-37  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Body oblong and compressed. A single continuous dorsal fin, its soft ray portion round. Caudal fin round to almost truncated. Pectoral fin round, its origin in front of pelvic fin origin. Small head with nearly straight profile. Small, terminal mouth with prominent lips. A single row of small, conical teeth on the jaw and pharyngal molar teeth. Preoperculum posterior edge serrated. Body covered with cycloid scales, with a single row of scales on the posterior portions of the dorsal and anal fins. Interorbital and snout scaleless. color : body greenish-brown, often with blueish flecks on the back and fins. Lighter on the belly. Red and blue stripes below the eye. Two dark vertical bars, one at the base of the caudal fin and the other on the caudal fin itself. size : common 10-14 cm (max. 15 cm). DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Acantholabrus palloni: caudal fin without vertical lines. Prominent dark spot on the upper caudal peduncle. Scales on the interorbital. More than 38 scales on lateral line. Lappanella fasciata, Pteragogus pelycus, Labrus spp. and Symphodus spp.: 3 anal spines. Coris julis, Thalassoma pavo and Xyrichthys novacula: 10 or less dorsal spines. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Feeds on a great variety of small vertebrates, including molluscs and crustaceans, such as amphipods, copepods and ostracods, and, to a lesser extent, polychaetes. No clear sexual dimorphism. habitat : neritic, usually associated with rocky and sea grass meadows, to depths of ca. 40 m.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Málaga, Spain, 1981. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : North-east Atlantic, from Greenland and Norway to Portugal. Mediterranean : recorded in Málaga, Spain (Nuñez and Piote, 1981. ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Very rare. speculated reasons for success : MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via Gibraltar. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Nuñez J.C. and Piote J.A., 1981. Centrolabrus exoletus L., 1758 (Percomorphi, Labridae) nueva especie para el Mediterraneo. Mon. Trab. Zool., 3-4: 57-61. Sayer M.D.J., Treasurer J.W. and Costello M.J. (eds.), 1996. Wrasse: Biology and use in aquaculture. Fishing News Books, Oxford, 283 p. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: April 2002 ©ciesm 2002