Oxycheilinus mentalis
| Oxycheilinus mentalis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Perciformes |
| Family: | Labridae |
| Genus: | Oxycheilinus |
| Species: | O. mentalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Oxycheilinus mentalis (Rüppell, 1828 ) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Cheilinus mentalis | |
Oxycheilinus mentalis (mental wrasse) is a species of wrasse found in the Western Indian Ocean, in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.[1]
It has been known to change its colouration to match species of non-predatory parrotfish and surgeonfish. It then swims with these harmless model species and predates upon passing fish. This is a form of aggressive mimicry.[2] Without a model fish, the mental wrasse has a redish pink colour.
References
- ↑ "Oxycheilinus mentalis summary page". FishBase. Retrieved 2016-11-05.
- ↑ Randall, J. E. (2005). A review of mimicry in marine fishes. Zoological Studies, 44(3), 299–328.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.