Head to head
Rainbow Wrasse vs Corkwing Wrasse
Rainbow Wrasse
VS Corkwing Wrasse
The rainbow wrasse and the corkwing wrasse are two small, colourful wrasses of European waters that share parts of the eastern Atlantic, but they differ in shape and habits.
| Rainbow Wrasse | Corkwing Wrasse | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Coris julis | Symphodus melops |
| Relationship | A fellow member of the wrasse family | A fellow member of the wrasse family |
| Body | A slender, cigar-shaped body, usually around 20 to 25 cm long | A deep body with a pointed snout, usually only 10 to 25 cm long |
| Colours | Young fish and females are brown to orange with a white stripe, while mature males are green and blue with an orange zigzag stripe and a bright blue head | A dark spot on the base of the tail and a dark mark near the gill cover, with breeding males turning blue and green with a reddish or orange belly |
| Night behaviour | Dives into sand at night to sleep, and sometimes when threatened | Lives close to the bottom among rocks and seaweed |
| Breeding | Many females change into males as they grow, so the brightest fish are the oldest | The male builds a nest of seaweed in a crevice in the rocks and guards the eggs |
| Diet | Small crustaceans, molluscs, sea urchins, and other small animals found on the reef and sand | Small crustaceans, snails, and other shellfish found among the rocks and seaweed |
| Habitat | Rocky reefs and seagrass beds of the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic, from the Bay of Biscay to West Africa | Rocky shores and seaweed beds of the north-eastern Atlantic, from Norway to Morocco |
Rainbow Wrasse vs Corkwing Wrasse: common questions
Which one buries itself in sand?
The rainbow wrasse, which dives into sand at night to sleep and sometimes when threatened.
Which one builds a nest?
The corkwing wrasse, whose male builds a nest of seaweed in a crevice in the rocks and guards the eggs.
Do both change colour?
Both have brightly coloured males, and many female rainbow wrasse change sex into the green-and-blue male form as they grow.