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Wrasse upper right jaw

This bone is probably the upper right jaw of a Crimson-banded Wrasse. The front of the jaw (lower right) is damaged and the anterior tooth is missing. Photo: C. Bento © Australian Museum.

Jaw of a wrasse from the Australian Museum Fish Collection (AMS I.26747-001). Photo: C. Bento © Australian Museum.

X-ray image of the jaws of a Crimson-banded Wrasse (AMS I.36220-041). The arrow points to the tooth at the rear of the upper jaw. Photo: M. McGrouther © Australian Museum. View larger image.

Over the years, the Fish Department has received numerous enquiries about strange bones found washed up on the shore. The image to the right shows a bone that was found by P. Woods of Maclean, New South Wales. Distinctively shaped jawbones like this are relatively commonly sent to the Australian Museum for identification.

The bone is the upper right jaw of a wrasse (family Labridae).

For many years it was presumed to be the jaw of an Eastern Blue Groper, however this species lacks the distinctive hook like tooth at the rear of the jaw (lower left of the image).

We are not 100% sure which species the jaw came from, however it is most likely from the Crimson-banded Wrasse. This species is common in New South Wales waters and very common on kelp-covered rocky reefs in shallow coastal waters of the Sydney region.

The image below shows the alignment of the bone in the head of the fish.

Related links

• Crimson-banded Wrasse fact sheet
• Eastern Blue Groper fact sheet
• Spiny Pufferfish Jaw
• View the Family Labridae list
• View the Wrasses list

Further Reading

1. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston publishing. Pp. 180.
2. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
3. Gomon, M.F. & B.C. Russell in Gomon, M.F., C.J.M. Glover & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
4. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
5. Russell, B.C. 1988. Revision of The Labrid Fish Genus Pseudolabrus and Allied Genera. Records of the Australian Museum. Supplement 9: 1-72, pl. 1-4.