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Slingjaw Wrasse
Epibulus insidiator (Pallas, 1770)
A Slingjaw Wrasse at a depth of 5 m, Steve's Bommie, Ribbon Reef no. 3 , February 2005. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer. View larger image.
A Slingjaw Wrasse at a depth of 13m, Redang Island, Malaysia, April 2001. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
A Slingjaw Wrasse at a depth of 12m, Redang Island, Malaysia, April 2001. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
A Slingjaw Wrasse at a depth of 4m, Redang Island, Malaysia, April 2001. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
The common name of the Slingjaw Wrasse refers to the fish's ability to protrude its mouth to capture prey such as crabs, shrimps and small fishes. When protruded the mouth can be up to half the body length.
Juvenile Slingjaw Wrasse look different to adults. They are brown with narrow white bars on the body, resembling fishes of the genus Wetmorella.
Initial phase Slingjaw Wrasse are uniformly brown or yellow. Terminal phase Slingjaw Wrasse have a white head, with a dark line through the eye extending onto the body. The body is dark with the exception of an orange region below the dorsal fin.
The species grows to 35 cm in length.
Slingjaw Wrasse inhabit lagoons and coral-rich reef areas, often in surge zones.
It is found in depths from 1 m to 40 m.
The species occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea, throughout South-east Asia and Micronesia, north to Japan, south to Australia and east to the Tuamoto Islands.
In Australia it is known from the north-western coast of Western Australia, around the tropical north of the country, and from the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Further reading
- Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The Marine Fishes of North-Western Australia. A Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Western Australian Museum. Pp. 201.
- Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian Reef Fishes. Coral Graphics. Pp. 330.
- Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Pp. 251.
Copyright © Australian Museum, 2006
Page researched and compiled by
K. Parkinson & M. McGrouther, August 2006.
