WHATSTHATFISH
Bony fish

Western King Wrasse

Coris auricularis

Also known as: Blushing Wrasse, King Coris, King Wrasse, Rainbow Wrasse, Sand Wrasse

LCLeast ConcernIUCN Red List, 2010
Adult
@smithsc · Yanchep on Boat, Australia · November 20131 / 1

Showing details for the adult stage. Switch stages to see how it differs.

01

Overview

Found in harems around sand patches of coral and rocky reefs.

Eastern Indian Ocean - Australia

Most reef fish seen by divers during the day, are grazers, they cruise around, just above the surface of the coral, or snoop into crevices, foraging for food.
Wrasses have small protruding teeth, which they use to graze the bottom, taking in a variety of algae, crustaceans, such as crabs, eggs, shrimps, snails and worms. Any hard coats or thick shells, are then ground down by their pharyngeal jaws, and the delicacies inside digested.
From juvenile to adult, wrasses dramatically alter their colour and body shapes.
Wrasses are always on the go during the day, but are the first to go to bed and the last to rise.
Small wrasses dive below the sand to sleep, and larger wrasses wedge themselves in crevices.

02

How to identify

Pattern
stripes
Behaviour
harems

Tap any trait to see other fish that share it.

03

Habitat & where to find it

Where the adult stage lives, and where its photos were taken.

  • Range · Eastern Indian Ocean
  • Exact location · 1
LIVES IN

Found in harems around sand patches of coral and rocky reefs.

04

Adult photos 1

05

Discussion 2

Comments are checked by a moderator before they appear.

2 comments

  • Carrie McBirney· 26 Aug 2015

    HI! We are looking for photos of this fish that we can use on animal-world.com and we would love to give credit for photos and/or videos!! Thanks sooooo much! These are males, right?

  • fishx6Top Contributor· 30 Oct 2015

    That would be fine if you let me know which fish and their is also a link back to my site.

ALL STAGES
FOR THE MARINE-BIOLOGY CURIOUS

Deep dive

Taxonomy

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classTeleostei
  4. orderEupercaria incertae sedis
  5. familyLabridae
  6. genusCoris
  7. speciesCoris auricularis (Valenciennes, 1839)

SourcesWoRMSFishBase

06

More in the family

Wrasses (Labridae)