Scientific Name
Gomphosus varius

Common Name
Bird wrasse

Biology
Dorsal spines (total): 8; Dorsal soft rays (total): 13; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11. Identified by long snout when adult and distinguished by color or geography from its sibling G. caeruleus (Ref. 48636). Small juveniles lack the elongate snout (Ref. 37816).

Classification

Classified By

Lacep?de, 1801

Class

Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii)

Order

Perch-like fish (Perciformes)

Family

Wrasses (Labridae)

Distribution

Region

Indo-Pacific

Distribution

Indo-Pacific: Cocos-Keeling to the Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to Rowley Shoals in the eastern Indian Ocean and Lord Howe and Rapa islands. Replaced by Gomphosus caeruleus in the Indian Ocean (Ref. 37816). Hybrid with Thalassoma lunare documented from Cassini Island, Western Australia and reported from the Great Barrier Reef; with Thalassoma duperrey, observed from Hawaii (Ref. 57557).

Range

30°N - 30°S, 43°E - 143°W

Environment

Climate

Tropical

Water Temperature From

24 °C

Water Temperature To

28 °C

Depth From - meters

2 m

Depth To - meters

30 m

Zone

reef-associated

Environment

Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 30 m (Ref. 27115), usually 2 - 30 m (Ref. 27115)

Trophic Level

3.59 s.e. 0.60 Based on diet studies.

Occurs in Marine / Salt water

True

Occurs in Brackish water

False

Occurs in Fresh Water

False

Occurs on Reefs

True

Is kept in Aquariums

True

Physical Size and Genetics

Maximum Length

30.0 cm

Common Length

Unknown cm

Phylogenetic Diversity Index

PD50 = 0.7500 many relatives (e.g. carps) 0.5 - 2.0 few relatives (e.g. lungfishes)

Human Uses and Population

Human Uses

Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial

Vulnerability

Moderate vulnerability (45 of 100)

Resilience

Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Threat To Humans

Harmless

IUCN Red List Status

Least Concern (LC)