Five-spotted wrasse

Five-spotted wrasse
	Males of the pentagonal wrasse during the mating season
Systematics
	Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
	Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order :	Labriformes
Family :	Wrasse (Labridae)
Genre :	Symphodus
Type :	Five-spotted wrasse
Scientific name
	Symphodus roissali
	( Risso , 1810)

The five-spotted wrasse ( Symphodus roissali ) is a fish of the genus Symphodus from the family of wrasse (Labridae) that lives above the seabed in the littoral .

Taxonomy

The five-spotted wrasse was first described by the French naturalist Joseph Antoine Risso in 1810 in his work Ichtyologie ou histoire naturelle des poissons des Alpes-Maritimes . A synonymous name for the pentagonal wrasse is Crenilabrus quinquemaculatus . Other synonyms are Lutjanus alberti (RISSO), Labrus aeruginosus (PALLAS), Crenilabrus tigrinus (RISSO) and Crenilabrus arcuatus (RISSO).

features

The five-spotted wrasse is characterized by special features that can be used to distinguish the species from other labrid species. First of all, the entire genus Symphodus has in common that all species belonging to this genus have a single row of teeth per jaw, while other labrids have two or more rows of teeth. Within the genus Symphodus one can distinguish the five-spotted wrasse from other species , as in this species the distance between the base of the second hard ray of the dorsalia and the lateral line organ is narrower than half the length of the soft rays of the dorsalia. In addition, S. roissali has around 35–90 cephalic pores on the top of its head. The five-spotted wrasse also differs from other Symphodus species in that the unscaled area of the operculum is rather small and its color differs more or less from the color of other spots or sinuous lines on the gill cover. If you take a closer look at S. roissali , the species is characterized by further characteristics. Their head is as long as or shorter than the length of the body, while the mouth is always shorter than the post-orbitals. The Labridenart also has four to seven teeth in the upper and six to ten teeth in the lower jaw. The snout is characterized by five to nine large, cephalic pores, while the fish's lips have five to seven folds. The operculum of the pentagonal wrasse has a scaly surface in the center, which is darker (brown, reddish brown or blackish) in both males and females and does not always match the color of the spots and stripes of the remaining gill cover. The pentagonal wrasse has 30-35 scales in the lateral extent, but only two to four on the surface of the temporal back of the head. At the base of the caudalis there is often a black point, which is also absent in some individuals , while the dorsalis is characterized by five points. The fin formula for S. roissali is D XIV-XVI + 8-10, A III + 8-10, where D stands for dorsalis, A for analis, the Arabic numerals for hard rays and Roman numerals for soft rays. However, this already makes it clear that it is difficult or even impossible to correctly identify a species only on the basis of its fin formula.

Five-spotted wrasse

The pentagonal wrasse reaches an average length of 12-15 cm, but can also be up to 17 cm long. The body has an elongated-oval shape and is characterized by very variable colorations, with most individuals being greenish-light brown or greenish-brown. The coloring varies depending on the primary habitat of the individuals. While animals that live on stony ground have a beige to light brown basic color, the specimens that appear between vegetation are mostly bright green in color. In the individuals who are primarily between plants, the dark stripes are also more common than in animals with a different habitat. Arigoni et al. Were also able to adapt the color to their surroundings to a certain extent. determine who have examined the extent to which the coloring u. a. in the five-spotted wrasse has changed since the invasive tropical alga Caulerpa taxifolia was found in the Mediterranean. It was found that the individuals who stayed in the algae meadows of C. taxifolia had a greater proportion of greenish tints than those who continued to colonize their natural habitat . Further experiments in aquariums with the five-spotted wrasse and the ophthalmic wrasse also revealed that both are homochromic species that are able to adapt their color to their surroundings. Males and females also differ in their coloration. During the mating season, the basic color of the females is beige or green and black spots are found over the whole body, which are more or less widely scattered, but always appear in larger numbers on the belly side. On the other hand, there are the males, whose final phenotype is characterized by green to turquoise diagonal lines on the cheek, eyes with a striking red frame, two dark, clearly separated spots on the back of the dorsalis and a green and reddish-brown basic color. Thus it becomes clear that also with the five-spotted wrasse, as with all species of the genus Symphodus, the male is much more colorful than the female, especially during the mating season.

Incidentally, the name of the fish is rather misleading, as it leads one to think that there are five clearly recognizable spots on the body of the animals. Instead, however, five-spotted wrasses tend to have a pattern of laterally offset and also indistinct horizontal stripes than the five spots mentioned somewhere on the body.

Regarding potential confusion with other species, no completely consistent statements can be found. Since the coloration of the five-spotted wrasse is quite conspicuous, it is stated in some works that individuals of this species can be distinguished from individuals of other species without any problems. In other literature, however, it is pointed out that there is a potential for confusion with the scaly cheek wrasse ( Symphodus bailloni ) or the gold maiden ( Symphodus melops ).

Labriform swimming style

Like all labrids, the pentagonal wrasse is characterized by the so-called labriform swimming style . The fish move by beating their pectoral fins at the same time, while the muscles of the caudal fin are only used for control and for rapid acceleration. On the basis of the swaying swimming movement resulting from the synchronous movement of the pectoral fins, S. roissali and labrids in general can be distinguished very well from other fish families in their natural habitat, because the labriform swimming style only occurs in the wrasse family.

Geographical occurrence and habitat

The wrasse family is a large family of fish with showy marine fish, many of which can reach large sizes. Most species are found in the tropical zones, but some species can also be found in the subtropical or temperate latitudes. The pentagonal wrasse is one of the labrids found in the temperate latitudes. Its distribution area stretches across the entire Mediterranean and the adjacent Atlantic from A Coruña to Gibraltar and the species also occurs in the Black Sea .

The five-spotted wrasse are fish that are true to their location and prefer to be in the littoral . Individuals of the species Symphodus roissali live between plants or on algae-covered rock, but mating generally takes place on a stone substrate. In addition, the diurnal animals hide between the algae and crevices that serve as habitats. The indigenous plant habitat of the Labrid species are seagrass meadows of the Neptune grass ( Posidonia oceanica ) that thrive in salt water , but due to the immigration of the invasive algae Caulerpa taxifolia , more and more pentagonal wrasses are now using the resulting algae lawn as a new habitat. On average, this species is found at depths between one and ten or 15 meters, but it also happens that some individuals live at depths of up to 30 meters. S. roissali , which lives either in groups or in pairs, is also quite shy and therefore rarely seen in open water.

The number of pentagonal wrasse that reside in a habitat and then often also form a society, also depends specifically on the structure of the habitat. The more complex the habitat is, the complexity of the habitat being measured by the number of rocky rubble of different sizes, the more fish there are in a habitat. This significant correlation can be explained by the fact that the greater the habitat complexity, the larger the surface area, which in turn means that more resources are available for each individual. There is more potential food, more opportunities to protect yourself from predators, light or extreme temperatures and the number of locations for mating and nest building is greater.

The five-spotted wrasse is also clearly one of the species that occur in greater numbers in shallow water, which can be explained by the trophic hypothesis postulated by Bell (1983) and Harmelin (1990). Thus, biodiversity and take abundance of Labriden and Spariden in deeper water off due to trophic conditions. There are more productive algae communities in the shallow waters and therefore more invertebrates living in the algae, which means that the food supply for the fish is higher in shallow water than in greater depths.

nutrition

Wrasses are either herbivores or carnivores . Many labrids feed on mollusks , the teeth of the species in question then being modified so that the fish can use them to break open mussels easily. The pentagonal wrasse prefers to feed on small, benthic invertebrate organisms.

Reproduction and rearing

The reproduction of the pentagonal wrasse, which reaches sexual maturity when the age of one year and a body length of five to seven centimeters is reached, takes place in the period between April and July. During this time, dominant males, who clearly show territorial behavior during this time, build several hemispherical nests made of brown, red and green algae on the sandy soil, some of which are also covered with sand, and also protect them. The nests are always built one after the other. The females, in turn, visit the nests built by the males and lay their eggs in the nests. However, the males only tolerate the females during the spawning phase after the completion of the nests in their vicinity and after spawning the females are also vigorously driven away by the males. After spawning, the males take care of the nest maintenance by guarding the brood and using fan movements to supply it with fresh water until the young have hatched. This fact that the male individuals build the nests and take care of the brood care is typical for most labrids.

Nest success of Symphodus roissali

The nesting success of the five-spotted wrasse is, however, very variable. It happens that some nests are visited several times by females, but others not at all. The nest success does not seem to depend on any characteristics of the males, since one and the same male cannot be successful at all, but when the next nest is built it is one of the individuals whose nest is frequently visited by females.

Another study sought to find out whether there was any connection between the nesting success of S. roissali and variables such as water depth, the slope of the subsoil, the extent to which the nest is exposed to the swell , and the position relative to crevices in the seabed. For the nesting and breeding success of the five-spotted wrasse, only the slope of the subsoil and the extent to which the nest is exposed to the waves are important. For example, a flat ground and a sheltered location are the two main characteristics that have increased the likelihood that a nest will be successful, that is, that females will spawn in it. The results indicate that the males of the five-spotted wrasse build their nests on the rocky subsoil of the littoral and prefer a flat subsoil and proximity to crevices in the seabed. 80% of the nests were found near such an abyss. However, choosing a location based on these criteria does not guarantee breeding success. It is more likely that the breeding success of the labrid species depends on the prevailing weather conditions and not on the properties of the nest location. The breeding success thus seems to depend most on the swell, which, in contrast to the other variables considered, is directly influenced by the weather. It is important that the nests are built in areas protected from the swell in order to increase breeding success.

Pelagic larval stage

The five-spotted wrasse is one of the fish species that has integrated a pelagic larval stage into its development cycle. At this stage the offspring, which have not yet developed into adults , can spread as larvae in the pelagial over greater distances. The duration of the pelagic larval stage (pelagic larval duration, PLD) is a measure of the later distribution potential of the adult animals. In S. roissali, this larval stage lasts 12.6 days on average , with values from only nine to 18 days being measured. During this time, larvae hatching from benthic eggs begin to spread near the coast, meaning that they spread less than a mile (1.6 km). In all labrids, the relationship between the PLD and their geographical range is positive and highly significant, which is characterized in the case of the five-spotted wrasse in that its geographical distribution is relatively low compared to other species, just like the PLD. The S. roissali achieves a geographical spread of 3625km, while for example the brown grouper ( Epinephelus marginatus ), whose larvae are distributed offshore and whose PLD averages 24.6 days, has a geographical range of 10001km.

Change in sex

With some species of fish it happens that the individuals change their sex. This is advantageous if, for example, a few large males dominate sexual reproduction , so that smaller males only have very little or no reproductive success at all. In these cases, natural selection encourages small individuals to become females, while only those individuals large enough to be successful in reproductive competition become males. When Fünffleckigen wrasse conversion of males to females is quite possible, but is compared to other Symphodus TYPES like Pfauenlippfisch ( p tinca ) or the Mediterranean cleaner wrasse ( S. melanocercus ) is not as common. This is due to the fact that the species most frequently have sex reassignments, in which the probable reproductive success depends most strongly on the size, which is not the case with S. roissali to the same extent, since here the reproductive success is much more dependent on the properties of the built nest and the the brood care that is carried out very extensively by the males depends on the size of the male.

Relationship between height and age

Using the otoliths in the ear canals of fish, it is possible to estimate the age of fish using the rings on them, whereby it is assumed that changes in the growth of the otolith crystal during the first year of a fish's life are due to biological or physiological changes in the life of the fish Animals are evoked. If you put the age determined by the otoliths in connection with the corresponding size of the fish, it could be found for the five-spotted wrasse that fish of this species have isometric growth . Isometric growth means that body parts grow evenly in relation to overall growth. This distinguishes them from other labrids such as the mermaid ( Coris julis ). Also, according to this study, the maximum age a pentagonal wrasse can reach was around three years. Up to this age the growth curve in S. roissali runs almost asymptotically and therefore agrees well with the calculated curve.

meaning

Symphodus roissali as cleaner fish

Some juveniles of the five-spotted wrasse are active as so-called cleaner fish. This means that they rid other fish of skin parasites and then often feed on the parasites . The main parasites in the Mediterranean are the marine isopods, because their larval stage only parasitizes on fish skins. Often larger wrasse such as B. Symphodus tinca , perch such as Serranus scriba or Serranus haptus , monk fish ( Chromis chromis ), various types of bream, goatfish or large perch from S. roissali . Since the cleaning process is regulated by ritualized forms of behavior and controlled by hormones, it is largely decoupled from the hunger of the cleaner fish. On the one hand, the “customers” show that they want to be cleaned by standing on their heads or tails, spreading their gill covers and fins or remaining immobile. The cleaner on the other hand signals by excitedly swimming up and down that he is ready to clean, which means that the regular predator-prey behavior no longer applies. Their function as cleaner fish also means that many species of the labrids found in the Mediterranean are well suited as aquarium fish.

Aquarium keeping

Just as with the eye-spot wrasse ( Symphodus ocellatus ), if you want to keep the pentagonal wrasse in the aquarium, it is important that the tank is not too small and that there are enough opportunities for the fish to hide. In addition, the water temperature should be below 20–22 ° C so that the pentagonal wrasse can be kept successfully in the aquarium. Another point why all wrasse of the genus Symphodus are actually well suited as aquarium fish is the fact that the animals usually accept substitute food without any problems. When choosing other fish species, however, it should be borne in mind that individuals of the genus Symphodus eat quite slowly, which is why they should not be kept with species that eat quickly or show aggressive behavior.

fishing

In the Mediterranean trawling fishery, the five-spotted wrasse is not a commercially important fish species, but the species is occasionally offered for sale as bycatch in fish markets in Spain and Cyprus .

Red list of endangered species

Within the Red List of Endangered Species , Symphodus roissali is listed as least concern, which means that the species is widespread and has a high abundance . In addition, the species population trend is stable.

swell

^ Joseph Antoine Risso (1810): Ichthyologie de Nice, ou histoire naturelle des poissons du département des Alpes Maritimes . F. Schoell, Paris. : i-xxxvi + 1-388, pls. 1-11.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Patzner, R .; Moosleitner, H .: Underwater Guide Mediterranean: Fish. 3. Edition. Stephanie Nagelschmid, Stuttgart 2006.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Neumann, V .; Paulus, T .: Mediterranean Atlas: Fish and their habitats. Mergus Verlag GmbH for nature and pet science, Melle 2005.
↑ Whitehead, PJP; Bauchot, M.-L .; Hureau, J.-C .; Nielsen, J .; Tortonese, E .: Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. tape 2 . Unesco, United Kingdom 1986.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h P. Louisy: Marine fish Western Europe Mediterranean. 750 types - 800 color photos - 1000 drawings and maps. Publishing house Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2002.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Göthel, H .: Color Atlas Mediterranean Fauna: Lower Animals and Fish. 2nd Edition. Publishing house Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1997.
↑ ^a ^b Arigoni, S .; Francour, P .; Harmelin-Vivien, M .; Zaninetti, L .: Adaptive Coloration of Mediterrean Labrid Fishes to the New Habitat Provided by the Introduced Tropical Alga Caulerpa taxifolia. In: Journal of Fish Biology . No. 60 , 2002, pp. 1486-1497 .
↑ ^a ^b Reininger, M .: Competition in the coral reef: Mimicry as a strategy of young fish. In: Biology in Our Time . No. 4 , 2012, p. 254-259 .
↑ ^a ^b Fowler, HW; Bean, BA: The Fishes of the Families Pomacentridae, Labridae, and Callyodontidae, Collected by the United States Bureau of Fisheries Steamer "Albatross," Chiefly in Philippine Seas and Adjacent Waters. United States Government Printing Office, Washington 1928.
↑ ^a ^b Charton, JAG; Ruzafa, AP: Correlation between Habitat Structure and a Rocky Reef Fish Assemblage in the Southwest Mediterranean. In: Marine Ecology . No. 19 (2) , 1998, pp. 111-128 .
↑ Bell, JD: Effects of Depth and Marine Reserve Fishing Restrictions on the Structure of a Rocky Reef Fish Assemblage in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. In: Journal of Applied Ecology . No. 20 , 1983, p. 357-369 .
^ Harmelin, J.-G .: Ichtyofaune des fonds rocheux de Métditerranée: structure du peuplement du coralligène de Î'Ile de Port-Cros (Parc national, France). In: Mésogée . No. 50 , 1990, pp. 23-30 .
^ Harmelin, J.-G .: Structure et variabilité de I'ichtyofaune d'une zone rocheuse protégée en Méditerranée (Parc national de Port-Cros, France). In: Marine Ecology . No. 8 (3) , 1987, pp. 263-284 .
^ Lejeune, P .: Le comportment sociaux des labridés méditerranéens. In: Cahiers d'EthologIe Appliquee . No. 5 , 1985, pp. 1-208 .
↑ ^a ^b Raventos, N .: Nest Side Characteristics and Nesting Success of the Five-Spotted Wrasse Symphodus roissali in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. In: Journal of Fish Biology . No. 68 , 2006, p. 305-309 .
↑ Macpherson, E .; Raventos, N .: Relationship between Pelagic Larval Duration and Geographic Distribution of Mediterranean Littoral Fishes. In: Marine Ecology Progress Series . No. 327 , 2006, pp. 257-265 .
↑ Warner, RR; Lejeune, P .: Sex Change Limited by Paternal Care: A Test Using Four Mediterranean Labrid Fishes, Genus Symphodus. In: Marine Biology . No. 87 , 1985, pp. 89-99 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c Gordoa, A .; Molí, B .; Raventós, N .: Growth Performance of Four Wrasse Species on the North-Western Mediterranean Coast. In: Elsevier Fisheries Research . No. 45 , 1999, p. 43-50 .
↑ Isometric Growth - Compact Lexicon of Biology . 2017 ( Spektrum.de [accessed March 7, 2017]).
^ The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved March 7, 2017 .

Web links

Commons : Five-spotted wrasse ( Symphodus roissali ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Fünffleckiger Lippfisch on Fishbase.org (English)

[1] Joseph Antoine Risso (1810): Ichthyologie de Nice, ou histoire naturelle des poissons du département des Alpes Maritimes . F. Schoell, Paris. : i-xxxvi + 1-388, pls. 1-11.

[:1-2] Patzner, R .; Moosleitner, H .: Underwater Guide Mediterranean: Fish. 3. Edition. Stephanie Nagelschmid, Stuttgart 2006.

[:2-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Neumann, V .; Paulus, T .: Mediterranean Atlas: Fish and their habitats. Mergus Verlag GmbH for nature and pet science, Melle 2005.

[4] Whitehead, PJP; Bauchot, M.-L .; Hureau, J.-C .; Nielsen, J .; Tortonese, E .: Fishes of the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. tape 2 . Unesco, United Kingdom 1986.

[:0-5] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h P. Louisy: Marine fish Western Europe Mediterranean. 750 types - 800 color photos - 1000 drawings and maps. Publishing house Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2002.

[:3-6] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Göthel, H .: Color Atlas Mediterranean Fauna: Lower Animals and Fish. 2nd Edition. Publishing house Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1997.

[:4-7] Arigoni, S .; Francour, P .; Harmelin-Vivien, M .; Zaninetti, L .: Adaptive Coloration of Mediterrean Labrid Fishes to the New Habitat Provided by the Introduced Tropical Alga Caulerpa taxifolia. In: Journal of Fish Biology . No. 60 , 2002, pp. 1486-1497 .

[:5-8] Reininger, M .: Competition in the coral reef: Mimicry as a strategy of young fish. In: Biology in Our Time . No. 4 , 2012, p. 254-259 .

[:6-9] Fowler, HW; Bean, BA: The Fishes of the Families Pomacentridae, Labridae, and Callyodontidae, Collected by the United States Bureau of Fisheries Steamer "Albatross," Chiefly in Philippine Seas and Adjacent Waters. United States Government Printing Office, Washington 1928.

[:7-10] Charton, JAG; Ruzafa, AP: Correlation between Habitat Structure and a Rocky Reef Fish Assemblage in the Southwest Mediterranean. In: Marine Ecology . No. 19 (2) , 1998, pp. 111-128 .

[11] Bell, JD: Effects of Depth and Marine Reserve Fishing Restrictions on the Structure of a Rocky Reef Fish Assemblage in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. In: Journal of Applied Ecology . No. 20 , 1983, p. 357-369 .

[12] Harmelin, J.-G .: Ichtyofaune des fonds rocheux de Métditerranée: structure du peuplement du coralligène de Î'Ile de Port-Cros (Parc national, France). In: Mésogée . No. 50 , 1990, pp. 23-30 .

[13] Harmelin, J.-G .: Structure et variabilité de I'ichtyofaune d'une zone rocheuse protégée en Méditerranée (Parc national de Port-Cros, France). In: Marine Ecology . No. 8 (3) , 1987, pp. 263-284 .

[14] Lejeune, P .: Le comportment sociaux des labridés méditerranéens. In: Cahiers d'EthologIe Appliquee . No. 5 , 1985, pp. 1-208 .

[:8-15] Raventos, N .: Nest Side Characteristics and Nesting Success of the Five-Spotted Wrasse Symphodus roissali in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea. In: Journal of Fish Biology . No. 68 , 2006, p. 305-309 .

[16] Macpherson, E .; Raventos, N .: Relationship between Pelagic Larval Duration and Geographic Distribution of Mediterranean Littoral Fishes. In: Marine Ecology Progress Series . No. 327 , 2006, pp. 257-265 .

[17] Warner, RR; Lejeune, P .: Sex Change Limited by Paternal Care: A Test Using Four Mediterranean Labrid Fishes, Genus Symphodus. In: Marine Biology . No. 87 , 1985, pp. 89-99 .

[:9-18] Gordoa, A .; Molí, B .; Raventós, N .: Growth Performance of Four Wrasse Species on the North-Western Mediterranean Coast. In: Elsevier Fisheries Research . No. 45 , 1999, p. 43-50 .

[19] Isometric Growth - Compact Lexicon of Biology . 2017 ( Spektrum.de [accessed March 7, 2017]).

[20] The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved March 7, 2017 .