Five-spotted wrasse
Symphodus roissali
Special features
Anyone looking for a wrasse with 5 spots under water will unfortunately be disappointed. The name of the five-spotted wrasse is misleading: instead of just five spots, its entire body is dotted.
Appearance
Patterning and coloring may differ depending on the habitat.
If they live on rocks, they are light brown in color, but if they live in seaweed, they appear greenish.
This adjustment helps them disguise themselves from enemies.
Dark spots are spread over their base color, which sometimes form into longitudinal lines. In animals that tend to hide in seagrass, these lines are usually more pronounced.
Natural enemies
Predatory fish
Dangerous/venomous
The five-spotted wrapfish is neither dangerous nor venomous.
Sketch
1. Dotted body
Pro tips
This very curious fish usually joins other wrasses for company. With us humans, however, it is a bit more careful. If you get too close, it hides in seaweed or a crevice.
Although, if you give yourself some time so that the fish can get used to you, its curious nature comes back to the surface and the admiration of this wonderful fish can begin.
Between March and July, males diligently build nests from algae and pebbles in a rocky environment.
The young animals that hatch from the eggs do not yet have a pointed snout.
This only develops later. With it, fish can suck up small crabs.
Text: Carolina Leiter, Felician Hosp, Pia Balaka
Pic: Felician Hosp, Sabine Probst
Illustration: Dive Dict
