Fishes - Australian Museum Fish Site

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Crimson-banded Wrasse
Notolabrus gymnogenis (Günther, 1862)

Crimson-banded Wrasse - male
A male Crimson-banded Wrasse at Shark Point, New South Wales. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer.
Crimson-banded Wrasse - female
A female Crimson-banded Wrasse at Halifax Park, Port Stephens, New South Wales. Photo © D. & L. Atkinson. View larger image.

The Crimson-banded Wrasse changes colour pattern with growth. Juveniles are a drab green to brown with white spots (view images of juveniles on the fixation page).

Females are red, green or grey with rows of white spots. Males have white cheeks, a red band across the body, red dorsal and anal fins and a white tail.

The Crimson-banded Wrasse grows to 40 cm in length.

It occurs from southern Queensland to eastern Victoria at depths of 4 m to 40 m. It is a common species on rocky, kelp-covered reefs in the Sydney region.

View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.

Related links

Further reading

  1. Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
  2. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
  3. Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-Eastern Australia. Crawford House Press. Pp. 437.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
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