About Gomphosus varius Lacepède, 1801
Common Name and Size
Gomphosus varius, commonly called the bird wrasse, is a medium-sized fish that can reach a standard length of 30 cm (12 in).
Body Shape
It has an elongated, laterally compressed body, a truncated tail, and a long snout.
Adult Identification Traits
Adult individuals are relatively easy to identify by their characteristic long nose and the jerky flapping of their pectoral fins when swimming.
Juvenile Identification Traits
Juveniles are harder to recognize, as they have not yet developed the species' signature prominent snout.
Similar Species Distinction
Gomphosus varius can be mistaken for its close relative Gomphosus caeruleus, but it differs from this species in both its color pattern and geographic range.
Sexual Hermaphroditism
Like many wrasses, Gomphosus varius is a sequential hermaphrodite.
Sex Change Morphology
When it changes sex, its body shape, color intensity, and color pattern change significantly.
Sexual Size and Color Dimorphism
Females are smaller than males and have a duller overall body color.
Female Coloration
In females, the anterior half or first third of the body is light-colored: the belly and chest are pearly white, the flank scales are grayish with a dark border, the upper half of the snout is red-orange, a thin brown longitudinal line crosses the eye, and the pectoral fins are translucent.
Male Coloration
Males have a more uniform body color than females, with a dominant greenish shade that varies in intensity between individuals, and also changes with maturity and mating period.
Male Head and Fin Coloration
A male's head may also be dark bluish, and the shoulder of the pectoral fin has a yellowish tint that is lighter green than the flanks.
Geographic Range
The bird wrasse lives in tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific waters, ranging from the eastern Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean's oceanic islands, including the Hawaiian archipelago.
Habitat
It most often occurs on external slopes, reefs, and lagoon areas with abundant hard coral.
