Biodiversity & Conservation

Cuckoo wrasse - Labrus mixtus

Labrus mixtus

Image Sue Daly - A male cuckoo wrasse Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Labrus mixtus recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Labrus mixtus is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Actinopterygii Ray-finned fish, e.g. sturgeon, eels, fin fish, gobies, blennies, and seahorses
Authority Linnaeus, 1758
Recent synonyms Labrus bimaculatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Labrus mixtus can be found in rocky areas around most of the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Over rocks and hard ground, and in the algal zone, between 2 - 200 m but mainly between 20 - 80 m.
Text page icon Description A slim-line wrasse with a narrow long head and a pointed snout. The colouration of Labrus mixtus is different between the sexes and very variable. The female is rose-pink to orange-red in colour with 2-3 dark spots interspersed with white on the rear dorsal and adjacent tail fin. Young males are similar in colour to the female but lack the dorsal spots. Older males have dark blue heads with brilliant blue lines and blotches that extend along the flanks. The rest of the body and the fins are bright orange and the fins also have bright blue markings. Males can reach up to 35 cm in length and the females are generally slightly smaller.
Identifying features
  • Male up to 35 cm in length, female up to 30 cm.
  • Functional males have a blue striped head and back, the rest of the body and fins are orange.
  • Females and non-functional males are rose-pink or orange-red.
  • Females have black and white blotches on back.
  • Elongate body with dorsal fin uniform in height.
  • The mouth is large with lips made up of 7 -9 folds.
  • Scales are moderate in size and rather smaller than the pupil diameter of the eye.
Additional information icon Additional information The goldsinny wrasse, Ctenolabrus rupestris, is similar to the female cuckoo wrasse but lacks the three dark spots at the base of the dorsal fin and has a dark spot at the base of the tail fin.

This review can be cited as follows:

Paul Gregory 2003. Labrus mixtus. Cuckoo wrasse. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 21/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3600>