Castelnau's Wrasse, Dotalabrus aurantiacus (Castelnau, 1872)

Scientific name: Dotalabrus aurantiacus
Alternative name/s:
Pretty Polly
  • Author(s)
    Mark McGrouther
  • Updated
    15/02/21
  • Read time
    2 minutes
Castelnau's Wrasse, Dotalabrus aurantiacus Click to enlarge image
A Castelnau's Wrasse, Dotalabrus aurantiacus, at a depth of 5 m, Old Rapid Bay Jetty, South Australia, 5 December 2015. Image: David Muirhead
© David Muirhead

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Dotalabrus
    Species
    aurantiacus
    Family
    Labridae
    Order
    Perciformes
    Class
    Actinopterygii
    Subphylum
    Vertebrata
    Phylum
    Chordata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    The species grows to 14 cm in length.

Introduction

Juvenile Castelnau's Wrasse and females are green to pale red. Males can be reddish-brown, orange, yellowish, green or pale with four broken black bars. The species is an Australian endemic, occurring from southern Victoria to south-western Western Australia, plus the east coast of Tasmania.

Identification

Castelnau's Wrasse can be recognised by its colouration. Juveniles and females are green to pale red with five irregular dark bars on the body and an ocellus at the rear of the dorsal and anal fins. Males can be reddish-brown, orange, yellowish, green or pale with four broken black bars on the body and black lines around the eyes. The margins of the caudal, dorsal and anal fins are black.

Two species of Dotalabrus are known from Australian waters. The second is the Little Rainbow Wrasse (sometimes called Allen's Polly), D.alleni, which is found in shallow marine waters of south-western Western Australia.

Habitat

Castelnau's Wrasse occurs in seagrass beds and weedy areas on rocky reefs.

Distribution

It occurs from southern Victoria to south-western Western Australia, plus the east coast of Tasmania.

The map below shows the Australian distribution of the species based on public sightings and specimens in Australian Museums. Click on the map for detailed information. Source: Atlas of Living Australia.

Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia

Other behaviours and adaptations

It swims by bobbing up and down at an oblique angle, with the head up and tail down.

References

  1. Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
  2. 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.
  3. Hutchins, B. & R. Swainston. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete Field Guide for Anglers and Divers. Swainston Publishing. Pp. 180.
  4. Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. New Holland. Pp. 433.
  5. Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.