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| Related FAQs: Coris Wrasses,
Coris gaimard, Wrasses, Wrasse
Selection, Wrasse Behavior, Wrasse Compatibility, Wrasse
Feeding, Wrasse Diseases,
Related Articles: The Diversity of Wrasses,
Family Labridae, Coris gaimard, Cook
Islands Wrasses,
/The Best
Livestock for Your Marine Aquarium
Wrasses
of the Genus Coris |
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by Bob Fenner |
Coris juveniles in captivity
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The tough fishes of this genus are largely misunderstood, and therefore
largely mis-used. The two dozen or so Coris species range in size, but mainly are bigger than
hobbyists realize. Some get to more than two feet in length. All species are tough to the point of
being mean, and predators of many invertebrate groups, making them really only suitable
for fish-only systems. Males, females and juveniles are often strikingly differently
colored and marked. Only small individuals (a few inches) of the smaller species ought to
be tried, and those provided with a soft substrate to bury and sleep within and a solid
top to prevent loss from jumping. We’ll list the most common few Coris that are
regularly available, but all follow the same general rules for selection and care... just
remember to adjust for their ultimate size.
| Coris auricularis (Valenciennes 1839), the Western
King Wrasse. Eastern Indian Ocean; Australia. |
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Coris aygula Lacepede 1801, the Twinspot or Clown Coris (2), is oh-so-cute when
little; at about 3-5 inches it starts to transform into a light in the front, dark in the
back female. But as they say on late night TV, "Wait, there’s more". At a
foot or so in length females change again to darkish green with a white body band males
that grow to three plus feet in length! Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea to
the Line Islands in distribution. Below are a three inch juvenile, a six
inch female and two foot male in the Red Sea.
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| Coris ballieui Vaillant & Sauvage 1875, the Sand
Wrasse. Known from Hawaii's islands in the central Pacific. To thirteen
inches. Rarely imported and this is a great shame. A good-looking smaller
member of the genus that would probably do well for aquarists. This one
photographed at the Waikiki Aquarium. |
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| Coris batuensis (Bleeker 1856), the Batu Coris.
Indo-Pacific, but not the Red Sea, to Tonga. Another mid-size species, to
seven inches in length, that would do well for aquarists. Rarely collected
for the trade. At right, initial and terminal individuals in N. Sulawesi.
Below: One in the Maldives, and Australian waters. |
 
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| Coris caudimacula (Quoy & Gaimard 1834), the
Spottail Coris. Indian Ocean, including Red Sea, to Australia. To eight
inches in length. A female and male in the upper Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba. |
 
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| Coris cuvieri (Bennett 1829), Cuvier's Coris Wrasse.
Western and central Indian Ocean, including the Red Sea. Another "Coris
gaimard" look-alike. Rarely seen in the west. To eleven inches in
length. Shown below, juvenile, initial/female and terminal/male phases in
the Red Sea. |
| Coris dorsomacula Fowler 1908, the Pale-Barred Coris. Western
Pacific. To eight inches in length. This one off of Queensland,
Australia. |
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| Coris flavovittata (Bennett 1828), the Yellowstriped
Coris. Eastern-Central Pacific; Hawaiian endemic. To 50 cm, 20 inches in length.
A large female off of Kailua Kona. |
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Coris frerei, is most often sold as the Formosa Wrasse in the west,
but as the Queen or Indian Sand Wrasse (2) elsewhere (in reference to it’s Indian
Ocean distribution). In the wild this fish grows to two feet in length. Below
are a juvenile of three inches length, initial/female phase individuals in
captivity, and an eight inch long adult/terminal phase male in the Red Sea.
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Coris gaimard (Quoy & Gaimard 1824), the
Yellowtail Coris or Gaimard’s Wrasse is THE Coris Wrasse to most
hobbyists (1). Depending on life stage this fish also goes by the common appellations as
the Red (as young) and Yellowtail Coris. To a mere sixteen inches in length.
Indo-Pacific out to Hawai'i. where these images of a juvenile, female and male
were made.
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| Coris hewitti Randall 1999. Eastern Central Pacific;
Marquesas endemic. Found over rock and sand bottoms. To 14 cm.
Male/terminal phase individual Nuku Hiva pix. |
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| Coris marquesensis Randall 1999. Eastern Central
Pacific; Marquesas endemic. Found over rock and sand bottoms. To 23 cm.
Initial phase Nuku Hiva pix. |
 
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| Coris picta (Bloch & Schneider 1801), the Comb
Wrasse. Western Pacific. To ten inches in length. An occasional import to
the hobby, generally from Australia. Typically hardy and gluttonous as
other Coris species. This one in an aquarium. |
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| Coris roseoviridis Randall 1999. Eastern Central
Pacific; French Polynesia and Cook Islands. To eight inches in
length. |
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| Coris variegata (Ruppell 1835), the
Dappled Wrasse. Red Sea endemic. To eight inches in length. This one off
of Hurghada. |
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| Coris venusta Vaillant & Sauvage
1875, the Elegant Coris. Hawaiian endemic. To about seven inches in
length. Yet another Hawaiian Coris that could/should be used in our
interest. A hardy beauty that can be found in good numbers in shallow
rocky settings. A terminal/male one in Shark's Bay in Oahu and a juvenile
off of the Big Island. |
 
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There are, as previously stated, several other Coris species, and a few
of these make it into the trade from time to time. All are great diggers, flippers of
decor, and only moderate in their average survival, (2’s), even the three endemic
species coming out of Hawai’i.
Bibliography/Further Reading:
Campbell, Douglas. 1980.
Marines: their care and keeping; wrasses:
part one. FAMA 12/80.
Debelius, Helmut & Hans A.
Baensch. Marine Atlas. MERGUS, Germany. 1215pp.
Hoover, John P. 1995. Hawaii's
wrasses, part II. FAMA 6/95.
Nelson, Joseph S. 1996. Fishes
of the World. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
NY. 600pp.
Randall, John E. 1996. Shore
Fishes of Hawai'i. Natural World Press, OR. 216pp.
Randall, John E. 1999. Revision
of the Indo-Pacific Labrid fishes of the genus Coris, with descriptions of five
new species. Indo-Pacific Fishes, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai'i.
Stratton, Richard F. 1989. The
red wrasse: Coris gaimard. TFH 11/89.
Tinker, Spencer W. 1978. Fishes
of Hawaii; A Handbook of the Marine Fishes of Hawaii and the Central Pacific
Ocean. Hawaiian Service, Inc. Honolulu, HI. 532pp.
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