Mediterranean Rainbow Wrasse Fish

The Rainbow Wrasse (Coris Julis) is a small, colorful fish found in the Mediterranean Sea and in the northeast Atlantic Ocean from Sweden to Senegal. Like many Wrasses, the Rainbow Wrasse is a sequential hermaphrodite: all start in the smaller initial phase. These initial-phase individuals (both females and males) can turn into the larger secondary-phase males. At a length of about 7.1″ inches, all individuals are secondary-phase males. The maximum length for the Rainbow Wrasse is 9.8″ inches.

There is a marked difference in the appearance of the two phases in a Rainbow Wrasse. In the Mediterranean Sea, the secondary-phase male is green, blue, or brown, with white belly, a dark blue spot over the ventral fin, and a bright orange band on the side, while the smaller primary-phase females and males are brown with yellowish sides and white bellies.