Epibulus insidiator

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms:

1. Epibulis insidiator (Pallas, 1770)
2. Sparus insidiator Pallas, 1770

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name.

Family: Wrasses.

Physical Description

Family Labridae:

Distribution: Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. Protrusible mouth. Most jaw teeth with gaps between them; teeth usually jutting outward. Dorsal fin 8-21 spines (usually less than15), 6-21 soft rays. Anal fin 4-6 spines (often 3), 7-18 soft rays. Cycloid scales, generally large to moderate, 25-80 along the side (may be small and over 100 if small. Lateral line interrupted or continuous. Vertebrae 23-42. Snout elongated in the genus Gomphosus. Size, shape and color very diversified. Most species are sand burrowers; carnivores on benthic invertebrates; also planktivores, and some small species remove ectoparasites of larger fishes. Most species change color and sex with growth, from an initial phase (IP) of both males and females, the latter able to change sex into an often brilliantly colored terminal male phase (TP). Males dominate several females; all Indo-Pacific species are pelagic spawners. Most species do well in aquaria, and young Coris are particularly popular. Maximum length about 2.3 m, many are less than 15 cm, the shortest being 4.5 cm. Medium to large species are important food fishes.

The family Labridae belongs to the Class Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) and the Order Perciformes. It contains 60 genera and 500 species. It may be found in Marine environments and is primarily Marine. Many members of this family are used in the aquarium trade. Reproductively, most members of this family are nonguarders. The main mode of swimming of adult fish in this family is labriform. Compared with other fish, the activity level of this family tends to be normal. Members of this family have been dated back to the Paleocene epoch of the Tertiary period. Etymology of this family name: Latin, labrum = furious

Images:

Distribution

Aquatic Regions

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea to South Africa^[1] and the Hawaiian and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to New Caledonia.

Range and Population

Indo-Pacific: Red Sea to South Africa^[2] and the Hawaiian and Tuamoto islands, north to southern Japan, south to New Caledonia.

Habitat

Inhabits coral-rich areas of lagoon and seaward reefs^[3]. Adults usually along deep slopes or drop-offs. May be found at depths of 1 to 42 meters.

Biome

Saltwater. Reef-associated.

Diet

Feeds on small coral-dwelling crustaceans and fishes^[4].

Migration

Capable of drift migration along with floating leaves^[5].

Behavior

Generally solitary^[6]. Sometimes it visits cleaning stations, holding the mouth open and out for inspection^[7].

Similar Species

Members of the genus Epibulus:

There are approximately 5 species and subspecies in this genus: E. cuvier · E. insidator · E. insidiata · E. insidiator (Longjawed Wrasse) · E. torquatus

Bibliography

• Abu Khair Mohammad Mohsin, Mohd. Azmi Ambak and Muhamad Nasir Abdul Salam (1993). Malay, English, and scientific names of the fishes of Malaysia. Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, O
• Allen, G.R. and R.C. Steene (1988). Fishes of Christmas Island Indian Ocean. Christmas Island Natural History Association, Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, 6798, Australia. 197 p.
• Allen, G.R. and W.F. Smith-Vaniz (1994). Fishes of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Res. Bull. 412:21 p.
• Burgess, W.E., H.R. Axelrod and R.E. Hunziker III (1990). Dr. Burgess's Atlas of Marine Aquarium Fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Inc., Neptune City, New Jersey. 768 p.
• Conlu, P.V. (1986). Guide to Philippine flora and fauna. Fishes. Volume IX. Natural Resources Management Center, Quezon City. 495 p.
• Cornic, A. (1987). Poissons de l'Ile Maurice. Editions de l'Océan Indien, Stanley Rose Hill, Ile Maurice. 335 p.
• Dalzell, P., S.R. Lindsay and H. Patiale. (1991). Fisheries resources survey of the Island of Niue. Tech. Doc. Inshore Fish. Res. Proj. S. Pac. Comm 3. A report prepared in conjunction with the South Pacific Commission Inshore Fisheries Research Proje
• Elameto, J.M. (1975). Carolinian names of common fishes in Saipan, Mariana Islands. Micronesia 11(1):1-5.
• Fischer, W., I. Sousa, C. Silva, A. de Freitas, J.M. Poutiers, W. Schneider, T.C. Borges, J.P. Feral and A. Massinga (1990). Fichas FAO de identificaçao de espécies para actividades de pesca. Guia de campo das espécies comerciais marinhas e de águas salob
• Gloerfelt-Tarp, T. and P.J. Kailola (1984). Trawled fishes of southern Indonesia and northwestern Australia. Australian Development Assistance Bureau, Australia, Directorate General of Fishes, Indonesia, and German Agency for Technical Cooperation, Fe
• Gomon, M.F. and J.E. Randall (1984). Labridae. In W. Fischer and G. Bianchi (eds.) FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean fishing area 51. Vol. 2.
• Halstead, B.W., P.S. Auerbach and D.R. Campbell (1990). A colour atlas of dangerous marine animals. Wolfe Medical Publications Ltd, W.S. Cowell Ltd, Ipswich, England. 192 p.
• Huang, Z. (2001). Marine species and their distribution in China's Seas. pp. 404- 463. Vertebrata. Smithsonian Institution, Florida, USA. 598 p.
• Hureau, J.-C. (1991). La base de données GICIM: Gestion informatisée des collections ichthyologiques du Muséum. p. 225-227. In Atlas Preliminaire des Poissons d'Eaux Douce de France. Conseil Supérieur de la Pêche, Ministère de l'Environment, CEMAGREF
• Kailola, P.J. (1987). The fishes of Papua New Guinea: a revised and annotated checklist. Vol. II Scorpaenidae to Callionymidae. Research Bulletin No. 41, Research Section, Dept. of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Papua New Guinea.
• Kapoor, D., R. Dayal and A.G. Ponniah (2002). Fish biodiversity of India. National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources Lucknow, India.775 p.
• Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994). Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific and Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
• McCormack, G. (2000). Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage database. Sent by Gerald McCormack as RTF document in May 2000 for use in FishBase.
• Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
• Myers, R.F. (1999). Micronesian reef fishes: a comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia, 3rd revised and expanded edition. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 330 p.
• Parenti, Paola, and John E. Randall 2000. An annotated checklist of the species of the Labroid fish families Labridae and Scaridae. Ichthyological Bulletin of the J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, no. 68. J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology. Rhodes Univ., Grahamstown, South Africa. 97.
• Randall, J.E. (1997). Randall's tank photos. Collection of 10,000 large-format photos (slides) of dead fishes. Unpublished.
• Randall, J.E. (1997). Randall's underwater photos. Collection of over 2,000 underwater photos (slides). Unpublished.
• Randall, J.E. and C. Anderson (1993). Annotated checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Maldives Islands. Ichthyol. Bull. of the J.L.B. Smith Inst. of Ichthyol. 59:47.
• Randall, J.E., G.R. Allen and R.C. Steene (1990). Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 506 p.
• Shao, K.-T., S.-C. Shen, T.-S. Chiu and C.-S. Tzeng (1992). Distribution and database of fishes in Taiwan. p. 173-206. In C.-Y. Peng (ed.) Collections of research studies on 'Survey of Taiwan biological resources and information management'. Institute
• Sommer, C., W. Schneider and J.-M. Poutiers (1996). FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of Somalia. FAO, Rome. 376 p.
• Tettelbach, S., J. Carroll and H. Reisman (2003). Fishes of Vanuatu. Report of the Tropical Marine Biology group, Southampton College of Long Island University, Southampton, New York.
• Wass, R. C. (1984). An annotated checklist of the fishes of Samoa. Natl. Ocean. Atmos. Adminis. Tech. Rept., Natl. Mar. Fish. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rept. Fish. (781).
• Westneat, M.W. (2001). Labridae. Wrasses, hogfishes, razorfishes, corises, tuskfishes. p. 3381-3467. In K.E. Carpenter and V. Niem (eds.) FAO species identification guide for fishery purposes. The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 6. Bony fishes part 4 (Labridae to Latimeriidae), estuarine crocodiles. FAO, Rome.
• Winterbottom, R. and R.C. Anderson (1997). A revised checklist of the epipelagic and shore fishes of the Chagos Archipelago, Central Indian Ocean. Ichthyol. Bull. Smith. Inst. (66):1-28.

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Notes

Contributors:

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 8, 2006.
• Froese, R., and D. Pauly. FishBase 2004. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 02, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 8 providers.
• Westneat, Mark (from FishBase).
• Yau, Bernard. Fish Album

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 02, 2008:

• Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum: Bishop Museum Natural History Specimen Data
• FishBase: FishBase DiGIR Provider - Philippine Server
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: AIMS - Baited Remote Underwater Video Station (OBIS Australia)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: AIMS LTM Fish (OBIS Australia)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: Bishop Museum Data (OBIS distribution) (USOBIS)
• Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University: South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity - Fish Collection (AfrOBIS)
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Museum national d'histoire naturelle: Ichtyologie
• Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University: MCZ Fish Collection
• OZCAM (Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums) Provider: Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums
• Royal Ontario Museum: Fish specimens
• Senckenberg: Collection Pisces
• University of Kansas Biodiversity Research Center: Fish Collection

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 170649
• Fishbase Species ID: 5606
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 111953
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 110008

Footnotes:

1. Parenti, P. and J.E. Randall (2000). An annotated checklist of the species of the labroid fish families Labridae and Scaridae. Ichthyol. Bull. J.L.B. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. (68):1-97.
2. Parenti, P. and J.E. Randall (2000). An annotated checklist of the species of the labroid fish families Labridae and Scaridae. Ichthyol. Bull. J.L.B. Smith Inst. Ichthyol. (68):1-97.
3. Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p.
4. Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994). Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
5. Roberston, R. and S.A. Foster (1982). Off-reef migration of young adults of the labrid fish Epibulus insidiator. Copeia 1982(1):227-229.
6. Fischer, W., I. Sousa, C. Silva, A. de Freitas, J.M. Poutiers, W. Schneider, T.C. Borges, J.P. Feral and A. Massinga (1990). Fichas FAO de identificaçao de espécies para actividades de pesca. Guia de campo das espécies comerciais marinhas e de águas salob
7. Kuiter, R. H. and Tonozuka (2001). Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidar - Callionymidae. Zoonetics, Australia. 304-622 p.