Patrician wrasse
(Pictilabrus laticlavius)
General data
Pictilabrus laticlavius, the patrician wrasse, the senator wrasse, the green parrotfish or the purplebanded wrasse is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the eastern Indian Ocean and the south western Pacific Oceans off he temperate coasts of southern Australia.
Description
Pictilabrus laticlavius has a moderately deep laterally compressed body, in which the height is 26-32% of its standard length. The head is quite large and is equipped with relatively large eyes and a small mouth in which the upper jaw does not reach the eye. The jaws are armed withsmall, canine-like teeth, the front pair in the lower jaw and the front two pairs in the upper jawbeing enlarged and recurved and there is and enlarged canine on each side of the posterior end of the upper jaw. This species has moderately large, cycloid scales which are firmly attached and which cover its body, although the head is naked apart from one to three rows scales on the cheek and eight to ten large scales on the gill cover. The lateral-line shows an abrupt downwards curve below the rearmost spines in the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin is continuous, with an elongated base and it is uniform in height along its length. The anal fin is similar to the posterior portion of the dorsal fin and is placed opposite it. The caudal fin is truncate while the pectoral fins are short and rounded and the pelvic fins are aloe short and are positioned with their origins underneath the base of the pectoral fins and do not reach the vicinity of the anus.
The males of this species are mainly green with maroon or purplish stripes along their flanks. The females and juveniles are reddish to greenish-brown in color and have a row of black spots above their lateral line as well as 4-5 blackish bars on their lower flanks and a black spot on the posterior portion of the dorsal fin.
Distribution
Pictilabrus lacticlavius is endemic to the waters off temperate southern Australia from New South Wales to southern Western Australia, its distribution extends from Bryon Bay in New South Wales to the Houtman Abrolhos in Western Australia and extends to Tasmania.
