220: LABRIDAE (WRASSES)
7a Total GR 21-25 (modally 23); initial phase with
a vertical dark red line below front of eye, usually
with a branch to front of snout; head of terminal
male blue-green with broad irregular pink bands;
C of terminal male solid blue ............................... T. purpureum
7b Total GR 18-23 (modally 20); initial phase with
a diagonal dark red line below front of eye; head
of terminal male orange-brown without bands; C of
terminal male brownish to greenish, shading
distally to pink, the posterior third of rays blue ......... T. trilobatum
220.58 Thalassoma amblycephalum
(Bleeker, 1856)
PLATE 104
Twotone wrasse
Tweekleur-lipvis
iulis amblycephalus Bleeker, 1856: 83 (Java, Celebes). iulis melanochir
Bleeker, 1857: 77 (Ambon). Thalassoma melanochir: Smith, 1961: 569,
No. 780a. Thalassoma amblycephalus: Smith, 1961: 569, No. 782a.
D Vm,13; A m,ll; P 15; LLcontinuous, sharply deflected downwards
below posterior D (true of all Thalassoma); total GR 16-19; head naked;
scales of chest about liz size of those of rest of body (all species); jaws with
a single pair of canine teeth anteriorly, followed by a row of progressively
shorter conical teeth; no canine at corner of mouth (dentition essentially
the same for all species ofthis genus); body depth 3.8-4.2 in SL. C truncate
to slightly emarginate, becoming lunate in large males. Initial phase with a
broad blackish stripe from snout through eye to upper C base; head and
body above stripe greenish, below white; C whitish with a broad orangered band in each lobe; a small black spot at upper base ofP (found on most
Thalassoma). Terminal males reddish with green vertical lines on body;
the nape and body below 1st 4 or 5 D spines yellow, chest blue-green; head
green to blue-green with 2 oblique golden lines on cheek and opercle; one
passing posteriorly from corner of mouth and the other from lower part of
eye; an elongate blue-green spot, broadly edged in black, on upper outer
part of P.
Attains 16 cm. Indo-Pacific, south to Transkei coast.
Feeds on zooplankton well above the substrate, often in
small aggregations.
220.59 Thalassoma genivi(tatum
(Valenciennes, 1839)
PLATE 101
Redcheek wrasse
Rooiwang-lipvis
iulis genivittatus Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1839: 416 (Mauritius).
iulis commersoni Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1839: 418 (Madagascar
and Mauritius). iulis bicolor Gunther, 1862: 184, 508 (locality unknown).
Thalassoma commersoni: Smith, SFSA No. 781.
D Vm,13; A m,ll; P 16; LL25; total GR 19-22; head naked except for
patch of small scales dorsally on opercle; body depth 3.2-3.8 in SL. C truncate or with lobes slightly produced in initial phase, to lunate in terminal
males. Initial phase dark brown dorsally, shading to yellowish on C
peduncle and to greenish ventrally, with a vertical red line on each scale;
dorsal liz of head dark reddish, yellowish on cheek, with a broad reddish
bar passing ventrally from snout to join reddish ventral part of head; a
black spot on 2nd D membrane; P with a broad blackish band; C dusky
basally shading to whitish distally, with a dull orange-red band in each
lobe. Terminal males with a broad blackish band covering all of back,
704
shading to yellow anterior to base of 4th D spine and onto nape; C peduncle mainly yellow except where dorsal black band extends into middle portion; ventral 1/2 of body blue-green; the upper part faintly showing light red
vertical lines on scales; head with same basic pattern as initial phase but
more blackish dorsally and with blue-green on edges of cheek.
Attains 20 cm. Mauritius and Natal, where it is known at
Aliwal Shoal south of Durban.
220.60 Thalassoma hardwicke
(Bennett, 1828)
PLATE 104
Sixbar wrasse
Sesbalk-lipvis
Sparus hardwickii Bennett, 1828: Pl. 12 (Ceylon). Thalassoma
hardwicke: Smith, SFSA No. 780*.
D Vm,13; A m,ll: P 16; LL25; total GR 22-25; head naked except for
patch of small scales dorsally on opercle; body depth 2.9-3.2 in SL. C truncate in juveniles, to emarginate in adults. Green with 6 black bars on body
which are progressively shorter posteriorly, the 1st passing from below
front of D, beneath P to abdomen, slightly below level of P base, and the
last a saddle-like spot dorsally on C peduncle; a midlateral pink stripe on
posterior 1/2 of body; head with broad irregular rose pink bands; nape with
2 black bands.
Reaches 18 cm. Indo-Pacific, south to Bashee River; not
common in South Africa.
220.61 Thalassoma hebraicum
(Lacepede, 1801)
PLATES 101 & 104
Goldbar wrasse
Goudstaaf-lipvis
Labrus hebraicus Lacepede, 1801: 526, PL. 29, Fig. 3 (Mauritius).
Thalassoma hebraicum: Smith, SFSA No. 778*; van der Elst, 1981: 192*.
Thalassoma schwanfeldi: Smith, 1957: 103; 1961: 569, No. 778a (juvenile).
D Vm,13; A m,ll; P 15-16; LL25; total GR 20-23; head naked except
for patch of small scales dorsally on opercle; body depth 3.2-3.8 in SL. C
varying with age from truncate to lunate. Initial phase blackish (consisting
of vertical blackish lines alternating with grey), with 2 staggered
longitudinal rows of large diffuse yellowish spots (still crossed by blackish
lines) and a yellow bar from base of 3rd D spine under P to belly, preceded
by parallel black and blue lines; chest with 2 diagonal blue lines and P base
with a black and deep blue line; head yellowish with 2 long narrow,
curved, blue bands (one broadly semicircular on cheek, and one extending posteriorly from eye) and 3 short ones; C yellowish with a diffuse
blackish bar at base. Terminal males with light yellow and bluish vertical
lines over the broad middle part of the body, a bright yellow band from
below front of D to abdomen very broadly bordered posteriorly by a dark
bluish bar and anteriorly by a band of scales which are half black and half
blue; posterior C peduncle and base of C crossed by a broad dark bluish
bar; rest of fin light yellow; head yellow with same banding as initial
phase.
Largest specimen examined, 23 cm. Indian Ocean south
to Algoa Bay.
7a Total GR 21-25 (modally 23); initial phase with
a vertical dark red line below front of eye, usually
with a branch to front of snout; head of terminal
male blue-green with broad irregular pink bands;
C of terminal male solid blue ............................... T. purpureum
7b Total GR 18-23 (modally 20); initial phase with
a diagonal dark red line below front of eye; head
of terminal male orange-brown without bands; C of
terminal male brownish to greenish, shading
distally to pink, the posterior third of rays blue ......... T. trilobatum
220.58 Thalassoma amblycephalum
(Bleeker, 1856)
PLATE 104
Twotone wrasse
Tweekleur-lipvis
iulis amblycephalus Bleeker, 1856: 83 (Java, Celebes). iulis melanochir
Bleeker, 1857: 77 (Ambon). Thalassoma melanochir: Smith, 1961: 569,
No. 780a. Thalassoma amblycephalus: Smith, 1961: 569, No. 782a.
D Vm,13; A m,ll; P 15; LLcontinuous, sharply deflected downwards
below posterior D (true of all Thalassoma); total GR 16-19; head naked;
scales of chest about liz size of those of rest of body (all species); jaws with
a single pair of canine teeth anteriorly, followed by a row of progressively
shorter conical teeth; no canine at corner of mouth (dentition essentially
the same for all species ofthis genus); body depth 3.8-4.2 in SL. C truncate
to slightly emarginate, becoming lunate in large males. Initial phase with a
broad blackish stripe from snout through eye to upper C base; head and
body above stripe greenish, below white; C whitish with a broad orangered band in each lobe; a small black spot at upper base ofP (found on most
Thalassoma). Terminal males reddish with green vertical lines on body;
the nape and body below 1st 4 or 5 D spines yellow, chest blue-green; head
green to blue-green with 2 oblique golden lines on cheek and opercle; one
passing posteriorly from corner of mouth and the other from lower part of
eye; an elongate blue-green spot, broadly edged in black, on upper outer
part of P.
Attains 16 cm. Indo-Pacific, south to Transkei coast.
Feeds on zooplankton well above the substrate, often in
small aggregations.
220.59 Thalassoma genivi(tatum
(Valenciennes, 1839)
PLATE 101
Redcheek wrasse
Rooiwang-lipvis
iulis genivittatus Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1839: 416 (Mauritius).
iulis commersoni Valenciennes, in Cuv. & Val., 1839: 418 (Madagascar
and Mauritius). iulis bicolor Gunther, 1862: 184, 508 (locality unknown).
Thalassoma commersoni: Smith, SFSA No. 781.
D Vm,13; A m,ll; P 16; LL25; total GR 19-22; head naked except for
patch of small scales dorsally on opercle; body depth 3.2-3.8 in SL. C truncate or with lobes slightly produced in initial phase, to lunate in terminal
males. Initial phase dark brown dorsally, shading to yellowish on C
peduncle and to greenish ventrally, with a vertical red line on each scale;
dorsal liz of head dark reddish, yellowish on cheek, with a broad reddish
bar passing ventrally from snout to join reddish ventral part of head; a
black spot on 2nd D membrane; P with a broad blackish band; C dusky
basally shading to whitish distally, with a dull orange-red band in each
lobe. Terminal males with a broad blackish band covering all of back,
704
shading to yellow anterior to base of 4th D spine and onto nape; C peduncle mainly yellow except where dorsal black band extends into middle portion; ventral 1/2 of body blue-green; the upper part faintly showing light red
vertical lines on scales; head with same basic pattern as initial phase but
more blackish dorsally and with blue-green on edges of cheek.
Attains 20 cm. Mauritius and Natal, where it is known at
Aliwal Shoal south of Durban.
220.60 Thalassoma hardwicke
(Bennett, 1828)
PLATE 104
Sixbar wrasse
Sesbalk-lipvis
Sparus hardwickii Bennett, 1828: Pl. 12 (Ceylon). Thalassoma
hardwicke: Smith, SFSA No. 780*.
D Vm,13; A m,ll: P 16; LL25; total GR 22-25; head naked except for
patch of small scales dorsally on opercle; body depth 2.9-3.2 in SL. C truncate in juveniles, to emarginate in adults. Green with 6 black bars on body
which are progressively shorter posteriorly, the 1st passing from below
front of D, beneath P to abdomen, slightly below level of P base, and the
last a saddle-like spot dorsally on C peduncle; a midlateral pink stripe on
posterior 1/2 of body; head with broad irregular rose pink bands; nape with
2 black bands.
Reaches 18 cm. Indo-Pacific, south to Bashee River; not
common in South Africa.
220.61 Thalassoma hebraicum
(Lacepede, 1801)
PLATES 101 & 104
Goldbar wrasse
Goudstaaf-lipvis
Labrus hebraicus Lacepede, 1801: 526, PL. 29, Fig. 3 (Mauritius).
Thalassoma hebraicum: Smith, SFSA No. 778*; van der Elst, 1981: 192*.
Thalassoma schwanfeldi: Smith, 1957: 103; 1961: 569, No. 778a (juvenile).
D Vm,13; A m,ll; P 15-16; LL25; total GR 20-23; head naked except
for patch of small scales dorsally on opercle; body depth 3.2-3.8 in SL. C
varying with age from truncate to lunate. Initial phase blackish (consisting
of vertical blackish lines alternating with grey), with 2 staggered
longitudinal rows of large diffuse yellowish spots (still crossed by blackish
lines) and a yellow bar from base of 3rd D spine under P to belly, preceded
by parallel black and blue lines; chest with 2 diagonal blue lines and P base
with a black and deep blue line; head yellowish with 2 long narrow,
curved, blue bands (one broadly semicircular on cheek, and one extending posteriorly from eye) and 3 short ones; C yellowish with a diffuse
blackish bar at base. Terminal males with light yellow and bluish vertical
lines over the broad middle part of the body, a bright yellow band from
below front of D to abdomen very broadly bordered posteriorly by a dark
bluish bar and anteriorly by a band of scales which are half black and half
blue; posterior C peduncle and base of C crossed by a broad dark bluish
bar; rest of fin light yellow; head yellow with same banding as initial
phase.
Largest specimen examined, 23 cm. Indian Ocean south
to Algoa Bay.