Combfish
Encyclopedia
The combfish or comb wrasse, Coris picta, is a wrasse
of the genus Coris, found off eastern Australia
and around offshore islands off north eastern New Zealand
to depths of between 5 and 55 metres, on mixed sandy/rocky reef
areas. Its length is between 10 and 25 centimetres.
The combfish has a long white body with a prominent wide black stripe from its mouth through its eye along the body to the end of the tail. The lower margin of the stripe is wavy and comb-like giving the fish its common name. The portion of the stripe on the tail fin turns yellow during the breeding season. There is also a thin red stripe running along the top of the body from the mouth, along the base of the dorsal fin
for the fin's full length.
Combfish often act as cleaner
s and some get most of their food in this way. The contrasting colour pattern with its cleaning signal stripe acts as a strong attraction to many other reef fish and combfish are often surrounded by groups of fishes waiting to be cleaned. The rest of their diet consists of small crustacean
s.
Wrasse
The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 82 genera, which are divided into nine subgroups or tribes....
of the genus Coris, found off eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and around offshore islands off north eastern New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
to depths of between 5 and 55 metres, on mixed sandy/rocky reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
areas. Its length is between 10 and 25 centimetres.
The combfish has a long white body with a prominent wide black stripe from its mouth through its eye along the body to the end of the tail. The lower margin of the stripe is wavy and comb-like giving the fish its common name. The portion of the stripe on the tail fin turns yellow during the breeding season. There is also a thin red stripe running along the top of the body from the mouth, along the base of the dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
for the fin's full length.
Combfish often act as cleaner
Cleaning station
A cleaning station is a location where fish, sea turtles, hippo and other aquatic life, freshwater and marine, congregate to be cleaned.The cleaning process includes the removal of parasites from the animal's body , and can be performed by various creatures A cleaning station is a location where...
s and some get most of their food in this way. The contrasting colour pattern with its cleaning signal stripe acts as a strong attraction to many other reef fish and combfish are often surrounded by groups of fishes waiting to be cleaned. The rest of their diet consists of small crustacean
Crustacean
Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...
s.