Find a Fish
Senator Wrasse
Pictilabrus laticlavius (Richardson, 1839)
An terminal phase male Senator Wrasse at Kurnell, New South Wales. Photo © Á. Lumnitzer. View larger image.
A juvenile Senator Wrasse at a depth of 20 m, "Abbott's Retreat", near the Gap, just south of South Head, entrance to Sydney Harbour, June 2001. Photo © E. Schlögl. View larger image.
The Senator Wrasse changes colour and pattern with growth. Terminal phase males are usually green with a red to purple 'forked' stripe on the side of the body.
Initial phase fish are usually reddish to brown with a row of diffuse black spots along the back and faint bars on the lower sides. Juveniles are light red-brown to greenish with pale spots.
This species grows to 30 cm in length.
It lives on weed covered rocky reefs. The lower image shows a typical view of this species as it darts between kelp fronds.
The Senator Wrasse is endemic to Australia. It occurs in temperate marine waters from northern New South Wales, around the south of the country, and north to the central coast of Western Australia.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
Related links
- View the 'Can fishes change colour?' FAQ
- View the 'Can fishes change sex?' FAQ
- View the Wrasses list
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life; the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544
- Gomon, M.F. & B.C. Russell in Gomon, M.F, Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
- Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
