COMMENTS
v. 12.0 – 12 Dec. 2024 view/download PDF
Family LABRIDAE Wrasses and Parrotfishes (Acantholabrus through Hologymnosus)
Taxonomic note: includes taxa traditionally placed in the families Scaridae (parrotfishes) and Odacidae (cales), now nested in Labridae.
Acantholabrus Valenciennes 1839 acanthus, thorn or spine, i.e., a spiny Labrus, probably referring to five anal-fin spines compared to three in Labrus, type genus of family
Acantholabrus palloni (Risso 1810) patronym not identified nor evident, although it is intriguing to note that this wrasse was described from the Mediterranean of Nice, France, where at that time the Pallon (later spelled Paillon) River (now covered) entered the sea
Achoerodus Gill 1863 a-, without; choiros, hog; odous, tooth, presumably referring to “obsolete” posterior canine teeth of A. gouldii compared to “developed” posterior canine teeth of other hogfishes, specifically Euphysocara, Gymnopropoma, Harpe and Lepidaplois (all synonyms or subgenera of Bodianus)
Achoerodus gouldii (Richardson 1843) in honor of John Gould (1804-1881), British ornithologist, artist and taxidermist, who collected type during his 19- month (1838-1839) trip to Australia
Achoerodus viridis (Steindachner 1866) green, described as having a light-green body and sides of head (perhaps color in alcohol; in life, adult males are bright blue to greenish blue)
Ammolabrus Randall & Carlson 1997 ammos, sand, referring to its preference for open, sandy substrates, which it dives into when threatened; Labrus, type genus of family
Ammolabrus dicrus Randall & Carlson 1997 forked, referring to forked caudal fin
Anampses Quoy & Gaimard 1824 bending back, referring (per Valenciennes 1840) to upwardly pointed upper-jaw teeth and downwardly pointed lower-jaw teeth of A. cuvier
Subgenus Anampses
Anampses caeruleopunctatus Rüppell 1829 caeruleus, blue; punctatus, spotted, referring to “sky-blue spot bordered in black” (translation) on each scale (spots on females, blue vertical lines on males)
Anampses chrysocephalus Randall 1958 chrysos, gold; cephalus, head, referring to “brilliant” orange head of terminal-phase males
Anampses cuvier Quoy & Gaimard 1824 in honor of French naturalist and zoologist Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), who proposed the genus and coined its name (but made available by Quoy & Gaimard) [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]
Anampses elegans Ogilby 1889 fine, select or elegant, allusion not explained but almost certainly referring to striking coloration of males, with a yellowish-orange mid-lateral stripe separating brownish color above and bluish color below, yellow spot on gill cover, yellow tail, and dark stripes through eyes
Anampses femininus Randall 1972 feminine, referring to its “unusual” sexual dichromaticism among fishes, the female being more attractively colored than the male
Anampses lennardi Scott 1959 in honor of Fynes Barrett-Lennard (1915-2008), an Australian landowner who collected many herpetological and ichthyological specimens for the Western Australia Museum; Scott thanked him for “valuable assistance” in collecting fishes, presumably including type of this one, and for sharing field notes and color photographs of these fishes shortly after their capture
Anampses lineatus Randall 1972 lined, proposed as a subspecies of A. melanurus with pale (in alcohol) or light blue-green (in life) longitudinal lines or rows of dashes following the scale rows
Anampses melanurus Bleeker 1857 melanos, black; oura, tailed, referring to black distal margin of caudal fin
Anampses meleagrides Valenciennes 1840 -[o]ides, having the form of: meleagris, guinea fowl, presumably referring to small, round, pale spot on each scale of body, like the color pattern of a guinea fowl
Anampses neoguinaicus Bleeker 1877 –icus, belonging to: New Guinea, type locality (occurs in eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans from Indonesia east to Palau and Fiji, north to southern Japan, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia)
Anampses twistii Bleeker 1856 in honor of Albertus Jacobus Duymaer van Twist (1809-1887), Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, “in tribute to the support that civilization and science have been able to experience from him during his five-year [1851-1856] rule” (per Bleeker’s description of Iniistius twistii, see below)
Subgenus Pseudanampses Bleeker 1862 pseudo-, false, proposed for non-typical Anampses on basis of scale size and teeth (now restricted to one species based on 48-50 lateral-line scales instead of 26-27)
Anampses geographicus Valenciennes 1840 geographic, referring to numerous reticulations on head, like the lines or markings on a geographic map
Anchichoerops Barnard 1927 anchi-, near, i.e., very similar to (and previously identified as) Choerops (=Choerodon)
Anchichoerops natalensis (Gilchrist & Thompson 1909) –ensis, suffix denoting place: KwaZulu-Natal coast, South Africa, southwestern Indian Ocean, type locality
Austrolabrus Steindachner 1884 austro-, south or Australia, proposed as a subgenus of Labrichthys occurring off Australia
Austrolabrus maculatus (Macleay 1881) spotted, referring to distinct black spot on each scale on operculum and upper part of body, spots becoming smaller below the middle and disappearing towards belly
Bodianus Bloch 1790 tautonymous with B. bodianus (=rufus), Latinization of Bodiano, variant of Pudiano, Portuguese name of larger labroid fishes in Brazil; according to Jordan & Evermann (1896), derived from from pudor, modesty, cognate with Doncella, Señorita and similar vernacular names given to larger and plainly colored fishes
Subgenus Bodianus
Bodianus diplotaenia (Gill 1862) diplos, twofold; taenia, band, referring to two prominent dark stripes on body of juveniles and initial-phase adults
Bodianus eclancheri (Valenciennes 1846) in honor of Charles René Augustin L’Eclancher (also spelled Léclancher, 1804-1857), naval surgeon aboard La Vénus, from which type was collected (name dates to plate; identity of patronym revealed in text published in 1855)
Bodianus insularis Gomon & Lubbock 1980 of an island, referring to its apparent restriction to islands associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge [possibly a synonym of B. pulchellus]
Bodianus pulchellus (Poey 1860) diminutive of pulcher, beautiful, i.e., pretty, referring to its attractive coloration; indeed, Poey called it a “beau poisson”
Bodianus rufus (Linnaeus 1758) red or reddish, presumably referring to overall reddish-yellow coloration of some large specimens
Subgenus Diastodon Bowdich 1825 diastole, spread; odon, tooth, referring to “4 strong irregular teeth very wide apart in each jaw” of B. speciosus [italics in original]
Bodianus albotaeniatus (Valenciennes 1839) albus, white; taeniatus, banded, referring to white expanse below dark head stripe intersecting eye ventrally in adults of moderate size
Bodianus atrolumbus (Valenciennes 1839) atro-, black; lumbus, loin, referring to large black area on lower back of adults
Bodianus bilunulatus (Lacepède 1801) bi-, two; lunulatus, somewhat moon shaped, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to lunate caudal fin (double emarginate with filamentous lobes)
Bodianus busellatus Gomon 2006 bu-, large; sellatus, saddled, referring to large black saddle-like spot on caudal peduncle, considerably larger than those of B. albotaeniatus and B. bilunulatus
Bodianus loxozonus (Snyder 1908) loxos, slanting; zonus, belt, referring to prominent black oblique band posteriorly on body of adults
Bodianus macrognathos (Morris 1974) macro-, large; gnathos, jaw, referring to its “unusually massive” lower jaw
Bodianus macrourus (Lacepède 1801) macro-, long; oura, tailed, referring to elongate tail as depicted in pencil drawing on which description was based
Bodianus perditio (Quoy & Gaimard 1834) ruin or destruction, referring to precarious position of the corvette Astrolabe, stranded on the reefs of Tonga in the South Pacific; facing the “perdition” in which ship, crew and all the specimens it collected would be lost, Quoy resolutely stuck to the work of illustrating this species (ship, crew and illustration survived but type specimen did not)
Bodianus solatus Gomon 2006 sunburnt, referring to dominant reddish coloration of adults
Bodianus speciosus (Bowdich 1825) beautiful, “the whole fish is of a rose-colour, with shades of violet, which give it a very beautiful appearance”
Subgenus Euhypsocara Gill 1863 eu-, well; hypso-, high; kara, head, referring to “high” head of B. anthioides, with a convexly rounded forehead
Bodianus africanus (Heiser, Moura & Robertson 2000) African, known only from the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, located 320 m west of the Gabonese coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea
Bodianus anthioides (Bennett 1832) –oides, having the form of: allusion not explained, presumably referring to similarity to various anthiine serranid species (e.g., those of the genus Anthias)
Bodianus brasiliensis (Heiser, Moura & Robertson 2000) –ensis, suffix denoting place: off the coast of Espirito Santo, Brazil, only known area of occurrence
Bodianus parrae (Bloch & Schneider 1801) in honor of Portuguese-Cuban naturalist Antonio Parra (1739-?), who described but did not name this wrasse in 1787 [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]
Subgenus Lepidaplois Gill 1862 etymology not explained; according to Gomon (2006), derived from lepido-, scale, and ploion, floating vessel or ship, “in apparent reference to it as a scaly fish”
Bodianus axillaris (Bennett 1832) axillaris, armpit or axil, referring to prominent round black spot at base of pectoral fin
Bodianus mesothorax (Bloch & Schneider 1801) mesos, middle; thorax, breast or chest, allusion not explained nor evident; according to Gomon (2006), “apparently in reference to the prominent diagonal black band on the body of adults”
Bodianus neilli (Day 1867) in honor of Scottish physician Andrew Charles Brisbane Neill (1814-1891), Madras Medical Service (retired), “esteemed correspondent” who communicated with Albert Günther and Pieter Bleeker on Day’s behalf and helped Day bring his 1865 Fishes of Malabar to press
Subgenus Paralepidaplois Gomon 2006 para-, near, referring to close relationship with the subgenus Lepidaplois
Bodianus diana (Lacepède 1801) etymology not explained, perhaps named for Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals (later associated with the moon), possibly (per Gomon 2006) referring to its beautiful coloration and form
Bodianus dictynna Gomon 2006 Dictynna, another name for Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals (later associated with the moon), referring to its extreme similarity to and close relationship with B. diana
Bodianus prognathus Lobel 1981 pro-, forward; gnathus, jaw, referring to its extremely elongate snout (and jaws), especially in adults
Subgenus Peneverreo Gomon 2006 pene, near, referring to close relationships and similarity of color patterns to members of the subgenus Verreo
Bodianus leucosticticus (Bennett 1832) leukos, white; sticticus, spotted, referring to row of white spots along back of adults in life
Bodianus paraleucosticticus Gomon 2006 para-, near, referring to close relationship with the “extremely similar” B. leucosticticus
Bodianus rubrisos Gomon 2006 ruber, red; sos, presumably alluding to SOS (Morse Code distress signal), referring to series of red Morse Code-like dots and dashes that make up its distinctive color pattern
Bodianus trilineatus (Fowler 1934) tri-, three; lineatus, lined, referring to three prominent dark stripes on sides of juveniles and initial-phase adults
Subgenus Priobodianus Gomon 2006 prio-, earlier or fomer, referring to primitive features in species of this subgenus and the hypothesized early, if not initial, divergence of this line within the evolution of Bodianus
Bodianus cylindriatus (Tanaka 1930) rounded or cylindrical, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to any or all of the following: “upper contour evenly curved,” “evenly curved profile” of head, and pointed snout with “evenly curved profile”; Gomon (2006) said name is “apparently in reference to [its] narrow body”
Bodianus thoracotaeniatus Yamamoto 1982 thorakos, breastplate; taeniatus, ribboned, referring to prolonged, filamentous pelvic-fin ray
Subgenus Pseudolepidaplois Bauchot & Blanc 1961 pseudo-, false, i.e., although Pseudolepidaplois pfaffi (=B. scrofa) may resemble Lepidaplois (then considered a full genus), such an appearance is false
Bodianus darwini (Jenyns 1842) in honor of English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), whose “researches in the Galapagos Archipelago, where he obtained [type of this wrasse], have been so productive in bringing to light new forms”
Bodianus pulcher (Ayres 1854) beautiful, presumably referring to color of terminal-phase males, black with a red-pink midsection
Bodianus reticulatus (Valenciennes 1839) net-like, referring to appearance of its scales, which “form a tight mesh network all over the body” (translation)
Bodianus scrofa (Valenciennes 1839) Latin for breeding sow, presumably referring to the common name “le labre porc,” also known as “hogfish,” so named for the elongated snout of many wrasses, which they use to root for food buried in sediment
Subgenus Trochocopus Günther 1862 etymology not explained; according to Gomon (2006), derived from trochos, anything round, and kope, oar, referring to rounded oar-shaped spot on gill cover of B. opercularis
Bodianus bennetti Gomon & Walsh 2016 in honor of Timothy Bennett (b. 1960), Australian diver and marine aquarium-fish collector, who collected type
Bodianus bimaculatus Allen 1973 bi-, two; maculatus, spotted, referring to characteristic black spots on opercle and caudal peduncle
Bodianus izuensis Araga & Yoshino 1975 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Izu Oceanic Park, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, type locality (also occurs near Sydney, Australia, and Bularia, New Caledonia)
Bodianus masudai Araga & Yoshino 1975 in honor of Hajime Masuda (1921-2005), University of Tokyo, who collected type and co-authored study in which description appeared
Bodianus neopercularis Gomon 2006 neo-, new, i.e., a new species similar to B. opercularis
Bodianus opercularis (Guichenot 1847) opercular, referring to prominent black spot on gill cover
Bodianus sanguineus (Jordan & Evermann 1903) bloody or blood-red, referring to color of head and trunk
Bodianus sepiacaudus Gomon 2006 sepia, ink; caudus, tail, referring to inky black caudal peduncle and caudal-fin base
Bodianus tanyokidus Gomon & Madden 1981 tany, long; okidus, earring, black, dorsoventrally elongate spot on operculum
Subgenus Verreo Jordan & Snyder 1902 from verres, a young boar, referring to the common names “boarfish” and “pigfish” widely used for members of Bodianus
Bodianus bathycapros Gomon 2006 bathys, deep; kapros, wild boar, referring to deep-dwelling habits of the Hawaiian “pigfish”
Bodianus flavifrons Gomon 2001 flavus, yellow; frons, brow or forehead, referring to distinctive yellow markings on head of adults
Bodianus flavipinnis Gomon 2001 flavus, yellow; pinnis, fin, referring to bright-yellow pectoral fins
Bodianus frenchii (Klunzinger 1879) in honor of Herrn (Mr.) French (forename not given), assistant to Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Müller (1825-1896), who collected many Australian fishes described by Klunzinger, including type of this one
Bodianus oxycephalus (Bleeker 1862) oxy, sharp; cephalus, head, referring to its sharply pointed head
Bodianus unimaculatus (Günther 1862) uni-, one; maculatus, spotted, referring to oblong deep-black spot usually present on middle dorsal-fin spines
Bodianus vulpinus (Richardson 1850) fox-like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring “strong series of [canine] teeth [that] give it a sinister look” when jaw are protracted (Gomon 2006 suggests it is named for “elongate fox-like snout”)
Bolbometopon Smith 1956 bolbos, swelling; metopon, forehead, referring to large hump on forehead of adults
Bolbometopon muricatum (Valenciennes 1840) furnished with numerous short hard excrescences, presumably referring to distinct nodules at base of each exposed tooth
Calotomus Gilbert 1890 calo-, beautiful; tomos, cutting, allusion not explained, possibly referring to “regularly imbricated” cutting teeth of C. xenodon (=carolinus), “arranged in regular rows in both jaws”
Calotomus carolinus (Valenciennes 1840) –inus, belonging to: Caroline Islands, western Pacific Ocean, type locality (widely occurs in Indo-Pacific from East Africa through the Indian Ocean to eastern Pacific Ocean around the Revillagigedo and Galapagos Islands)
Calotomus japonicus (Valenciennes 1840) Japanese, originally described from Japan (also occurs off Taiwan and South Korea)
Calotomus spinidens (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) spina, thorn; dens, teeth, described as having jaws “armed with pointed teeth” (translation)
Calotomus viridescens (Rüppell 1835) greenish, referring to “grass green” (translation) body color (probably referring to terminal-phase males)
Calotomus zonarchus (Jenkins 1903) zonus, band; archus, anal, referring to four oblique bands on anal fin
Centrolabrus Günther 1861 centron, thorn or spine, allusion not explained, presumably referring to “numerous” (per Günther 1862) dorsal-fin spines and/or five anal-fin spines, i.e., a spiny Labrus
Centrolabrus exoletus (Linnaeus 1758) antiquated, “said to be in allusion to the anomalous number of 5 spines in the anal” (Jordan & Evermann 1898)
Cetoscarus Smith 1956 etymology not explained, perhaps cetos, whale or sea monster, referring to large size (up to 122 cm according to Smith) attained by C. pulchellus (=bicolor); Scarus, ancient Greek word for parrotfish
Cetoscarus bicolor (Rüppell 1829) bi-, two, i.e., bicolored, described as greenish-yellow above and dark-green below (perhaps an initial-phase female)
Cetoscarus ocellatus (Valenciennes 1840) with an eye-like spot, referring to orange-ringed ocellus on dorsal fin of juveniles
Cheilinus Lacepède 1801 lipped, presumably referring to extensible upper lip of C. trilobatus
Cheilinus abudjubbe Rüppell 1835 from Abu djubbe or Sænuat abu djubbe, Arabic names for this wrasse along the Red Sea
Cheilinus chlorourus (Bloch 1791) chloros, green; oura, tailed, described (from a dried specimen) and illustrated as having a green tail (color variable depending on age, sex and color phase)
Cheilinus fasciatus (Bloch 1791) banded, referring to alternating white and blackish or dark-gray bars or bands on sides
Cheilinus lunulatus (Forsskål 1775) somewhat moon-shaped, referring to yellow crescent-shaped mark on operculum
Cheilinus oxycephalus Bleeker 1853 oxy, sharp; cephalus, head, described as having a pointed head (“capite acuto”)
Cheilinus quinquecinctus Rüppell 1835 quinque, five; cinctus, band or girdle, referring to five yellowish (but often white) vertical bars on body, the fifth at base of caudal fin
Cheilinus trilobatus Lacepède 1801 tri-, three; lobatus, lobed, referring to caudal fin, rounded in the middle (lobe #1) with protruding upper and lower lobes
Cheilinus undulatus Rüppell 1835 wavy, allusion not explained, presumably referring to wavy lines on body of adults
Cheilio Lacepède 1802 from cheilos, lip, “the lips, and especially that of the lower jaw, very pendent [hanging down]” (translation)
Cheilio inermis (Forsskål 1775) unarmed, referring to lack of spiny rays in fins, a clear misnomer as all wrasses have spiny fins; since the name incorrectly described the fish, Valenciennes attempted to replace it with C. forskalii in 1839, noting that its first dorsal rays are shorter, more slender, and a little less flexible compared to other wrasses at Isle-de-France (Mauritius)
Chlorurus Swainson 1839 chloros, green; oura, tail, allusion not explained, possibly referring to green-violet tail of type species, C. gibbus
Chlorurus atrilunula (Randall & Bruce 1983) atri-, black; lunula, crescent, referring to black crescentic mark on posterior caudal fin of preserved specimens
Chlorurus bleekeri (de Beaufort 1940) in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878), who identified this species as Scarus quoyi in 1853
Chlorurus bowersi (Snyder 1909) in honor of politician George M. Bowers (1863-1925), head of the U.S. Fish Commission, whose fisheries steamer Albatross collected type
Chlorurus capistratoides (Bleeker 1847) –oides, having the form of: similar to Scarus capistratus Valenciennes 1840 (an unidentifiable species with no type specimens) in body shape and color but differing in dentition, squamation and in having non-elongate caudal-fin rays (Bleeker mentioned that the former taxon may be a juvenile of the latter)
Chlorurus cyanescens (Valenciennes 1840) bluish, referring to bluish-gray body color in life (greenish-brown in alcohol)
Chlorurus enneacanthus (Lacepède 1802) ennea, nine; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to nine spines on dorsal and anal fins
Chlorurus frontalis (Valenciennes 1840) frontal, also used to indicate forehead, presumably referring to large green blotch on forehead based on proposed common name, “Front Tacheté”
Chlorurus genazonatus (Randall & Bruce 1983) genys, cheek; zonatus, banded, referring to broad bands of purple and blue-green on cheek of terminal males, its most conspicuous color marking
Chlorurus gibbus (Rüppell 1829) hump, referring to fleshy knob on forehead of large males
Chlorurus japanensis (Bloch 1789) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Japan (possibly Indonesia), type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from East Africa and western Mascarenes east to Tonga, north to Ryukyu Islands, south to Queensland [Australia] and New Caledonia)
Chlorurus microrhinos (Bleeker 1854) micro-, small; rhinos, nose, referring to its nostrils, described as “microscopic” and “scarcely visible” (translations)
Chlorurus oedema (Snyder 1909) swelling or tumor, referring to fleshy knob on forehead of large males
Chlorurus perspicillatus (Steindachner 1879) spectacled, allusion not explained, probably referring to blue-outlined saddle-like bars just in front of eyes
Chlorurus rhakoura Randall & Anderson 1997 rhakos, rag; oura, tail, referring to ragged posterior margin of caudal fin
Chlorurus sordidus (Forsskål 1775) dirty, presumably referring to rusty brown (“fusco ferrugineo”) body color, possibly a female (males are greenish)
Chlorurus spilurus (Valenciennes 1840) spilos, mark or spot; oura, tailed, referring to yellow (described as black in contemporary accounts) spot or patch at caudal-fin base of females
Chlorurus strongylocephalus (Bleeker 1855) strongylos, round; cephalus, head, referring to “circular profile of the head” (translation)
Chlorurus troschelii (Bleeker 1853) in honor of zoologist Franz Hermann Troschel (1810-1882), “whose ichthyological works are widely known” (translation)
Choerodon Bleeker 1847 choiros, pig; odon, tooth, referring to prominent anterior canines, which Bleeker called “slagtanden” (tusks), hence the common name tuskfish
Subgenus Choerodon
Choerodon anchorago (Bloch 1791) –ago, like, i.e., anchor-like, referring to teeth in lower jaw “anchored in front and inwardly and outwardly curved on the sides” (translation), prompting Bloch to call it “Ankerzahn” (Anchortooth) in German (Gomon 2017 is incorrect in saying that name may refer to anchor-like color pattern)
Choerodon cauteroma Gomon & Allen 1987 Latin for a brand, referring to characteristic prominent brand-like black mark on upper portion of side below the seventh dorsal spine
Choerodon cephalotes (Castelnau 1875) headed, presumably referring to large head, 1⁄3 of SL, with a “prominent and very convex” forehead
Choerodon cyanodus (Richardson 1843) cyano-, blue; odus, teeth, referring to “azure blue” canine teeth
Choerodon graphicus (De Vis 1885) of writing, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to 7-8 “broad black cross bands confluent in the middle or on the dorsum,” which with some imagination could be said to resemble letters
Choerodon oligacanthus (Bleeker 1851) oligos, few; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to fewer dorsal-fin spines (13) compared to presumed congeners in Crenilabrus (=Symphodus, 13-18, usually 14-17)
Choerodon rubescens (Günther 1862) reddish; described from a skin, Günther assumed it had a reddish body color (color is yellowish-brown in juveniles to pinkish-grey or greenish-blue in large males)
Choerodon schoenleinii (Valenciennes 1839) in honor of Johann Lucas Schönlein (1793-1864), German naturalist and professor of medicine (named at the request of zoologist-geologist Louis Agassiz [1807-1873], who supplied color illustration from which species was described)
Choerodon venustus (De Vis 1884) beautiful, allusion not explained, probably referring to its attractive coloration (adults bluish-green with reddish sides, white belly, and a blue dot on each scale)
Subgenus Aspiurochilus Fowler 1956 aspis, shield and oura, tail, referring to large scales of caudal-fin base of Crenilabrus stejnegeri (=Choerodon azurio); cheilus, although identified by Fowler as meaning “lip,” its inclusion in the name was not explained and its relevance is not evident
Choerodon azurio (Jordan & Snyder 1901) azure, allusion not explained, probably referring to blue bars on body scales and/or blue distal margins on dorsal, anal and caudal fins of initial-phase adults
Choerodon cypselurus Gomon 2017 kypselos, swallow (bird); oura, tail, referring to characteristic swallowtail-like caudal fin, unlike other members of the C. azurio clade
Choerodon monostigma Ogilby 1910 mono-, one; stigma, mark or spot, referring to characteristic violet-to-black spot between last three spines of dorsal fin
Choerodon robustus (Günther 1862) full-bodied or stout, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to stouter body compared to the much more slender C. typus
Choerodon zamboangae (Seale & Bean 1907) of Zamboanga, Philippines, type locality (also occurs off Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia)
Subgenus Lienardella Fowler & Bean 1928 –ella, diminutive connoting endearment: named for ichthyologist Élizé Liénard (1808-1876), author of several early papers on the fishes of Mauritius (although C. fasciatus does not occur there)
Choerodon fasciatus (Günther 1867) banded, referring to “bluish-ashy cross bands each edged with violet” on head and body (presumably color of dried type specimens; adults have brilliant red bands in life)
Subgenus Lutjanilabrus Gomon 2017 lutjan, from ikan (=fish) lutjang, Malayan vernacular for snappers (Lutjaniformes: Lutjanidae: Lutjanus), referring to its snapper-like form; Labrus, type genus of family, used here as a general suffix for wrasse
Choerodon vitta Ogilby 1910 ribbon or stripe, referring to broad blackish band on middle of body from behind eye to caudal peduncle
Subgenus Peaolopesia Smith 1949 –ia, belonging to: patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Peão Lopes, Lourenço Marques Museum (Mozambique), for whom Smith named Oplegnathus peaolopesi in 1947, described as a “most able collector [of fishes] and technician”
Choerodon albofasciatus Gomon 2017 albus, white; fasciatus, banded, referring to prominent white stripe on side as part of its initial phase coloration [replacement name for C. japonicus (Kamohara 1958), preoccupied by Labrus japonicus Valenciennes 1839 when in Choerodon]
Choerodon aurulentus Gomon 2017 ornamented with gold, referring to prominent golden markings on stark-white head and body, including narrow golden horizontal stripe from lower margin of eye to dorsoposterior corner of caudal peduncle
Choerodon frenatus Ogilby 1910 bridled, referring to two dark-blue bands in front of eye, the upper pair meeting across the middle, the lower across tip of snout
Choerodon gomoni Allen & Randall 2002 in honor of Martin F. Gomon (b. 1945), senior curator of fishes, Museum of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia), for his contribution to the our knowledge of wrasses of the tribe Hypsigenyini; he also “generously shared” his knowledge of Choerodon with the authors
Choerodon gymnogenys (Günther 1867) gymnos, bare or naked; genys, cheek, referring to lack of scales on all but dorsoposterior corner of cheek
Choerodon jordani (Snyder 1908) in honor of ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), founding President of Stanford University (California, USA)
Choerodon margaritiferus Fowler & Bean 1928 margarita, pearl; fero, to bear, referring to pearlescent spots on side of body
Choerodon skaiopygmaeus Gomon 2017 skaios, western, referring to its distribution in the western Indian Ocean off Somalia; pygmaios, pygmy, a dwarf species, reaching 139 mm SL
Choerodon sugillatum Gomon 1987 black and blue, referring to blue-edged black bar below lateral line under third or fourth dorsal-fin spine
Choerodon zosterophorus (Bleeker 1868) zosteros, belt or girdle; phora, to bear, referring to oblique bright-white stripe angled across sides
Subgenus Xiphocheilus Bleeker 1856 xiphos, sword or saber; cheilus, lip, referring to compressed upper lip, having a “somewhat saber-like shape” (translation)
Choerodon typus (Bleeker 1856) etymology not explained, but since Bleeker bestowed 22 other new fish species with the name typus, all of them serving as the type species of new genera, it is reasonable to assume that the same applies here (i.e., type of Xiphocheilus); however, Gomon (2017), apparently unaware of Bleeker’s propensity for using typus for type species, believes the name is from the Greek typos for “figure or mark,” most likely referring to black band on upper sides below central dorsal-fin spines
Cirrhilabrus Temminck & Schlegel 1845 etymology not explained, presumably cirrus, curl or tendril, or cirritus, filamentous, and Labrus, type genus of family, with two possible explanations: referring to long, filamentous ventral fins (presumably of a male C. temminckii, described but not named until 1853), which Temminck & Schlegel said was unique among labrids; or referring to cirrus just behind tip of each dorsal- and anal-fin spine
Cirrhilabrus adornatus Randall & Kunzmann 1998 adorned or decorated, referring to bright-red markings on body and dorsal fin
Cirrhilabrus africanus Victor 2016 African, known from Kenya and presumed to occur off South Africa, Tanzania and Mozambique
Cirrhilabrus apterygia (Allen 1983) a-, without; pterygia, fin, referring to lack of pelvic fins, its most distinctive feature
Cirrhilabrus aquamarinus Tea, Allen & Dailami 2021 named for the brilliant teal to aquamarine color of males, an unusual color shared with no other species of the genus
Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis Allen & Kuiter 1999 aur[antium], orange; dorsalis, back, referring to bright-orange area on upper back of males
Cirrhilabrus balteatus Randall 1988 belted, referring to broad salmon-pink zone dorsoanteriorly on body of male
Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus Randall & Nagareda 2002 bathy, deep; philos, lover (i.e., a noun, lover of the deep), referring to its occurrence in water that is deep (60-217 m) for the genus
Cirrhilabrus beauperryi Allen, Drew & Barber 2008 in honor of Beau Perry on the occasion of his birthday, at the request of his parents, philanthropists Claire and Noel Perry, who have generously supported Conservation International, a leading nongovernmental organization dedicated to preserving global biodiversity
Cirrhilabrus blatteus Springer & Randall 1974 purple, referring to “persistent and distinctive” purple color of certain bones and scales (which persists in preservative)
Cirrhilabrus briangreenei Tea, Pyle & Rocha 2020 in honor of ichthyologist Brian D. Greene (b. 1980), Bishop Museum (Honolulu) and University of Hawaii, “who in addition to collecting the type specimens, has contributed extensively towards the study and exploration of coral-reef diversity (particularly on MCEs [mesophotic coral ecosystems]) through deep technical diving”
Cirrhilabrus brunneus Allen 2006 dusky, dark or tawny, referring to overall color pattern of holotype (mainly dark brown with slight purplish hue)
Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih Allen & Erdmann 2006 named for Cenderawasih Bay, Irian Jaya, Barat Province, Indonesia, type locality
Cirrhilabrus chaliasi Tea, Allen & Dailami 2021 in honor of Vincent Chalias, a “skilled underwater photographer, field biologist, and proponent of coral and fish aquaculture in Bali. He greatly assisted in the description of [this] species through his excellent underwater photographs and detailed field observations”
Cirrhilabrus claire Randall & Pyle 2001 in honor of Claire T. Michihara, wife of Charles “Chip” J. Boyle, who collected type in 1990; they co-own Cook Island Aquarium Fish, a marine-aquarium fish exporter [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]
Cirrhilabrus condei Allen & Randall 1996 in honor of zoologist Bruno Condé (1920-2004), director of l’Aquarium de Nancy, for his “outstanding service” as editor of Revue française d’Aquariologie (journal in which description appeared) and “valuable” contributions to the aquarium field
Cirrhilabrus cyanogularis Tea, Frable & Gill 2018 cyanos, blue; gularis, throated, referring to extensive blue throat coloration of males
Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura (Bleeker 1851) cyano-, blue; pleura, side, referring to dark blue-green edges on many scales of males in alcohol (dark purple in life)
Cirrhilabrus earlei Randall & Pyle 2001 in honor of John L. Earle, Association for Marine Exploration, who collected type and was co-collector (with the junior author) of five of the paratypes
Cirrhilabrus efatensis Walsh, Tea & Tanaka 2017 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Éfaté Island, Vanuatu, type locality (also occurs at Espiritu Santo)
Cirrhilabrus exquisitus Smith 1957 exquisite, “an especially beautiful small fish, the colouring exquisite”
Cirrhilabrus filamentosus (Klausewitz 1976) filamentous, referring to long filament extending from 10th and 11th rays of dorsal fin of males
Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa Tea, Najeeb, Rowlett & Rocha 2022 Dhivehi (Maldivian) for rose, referring to bright magenta and peach to orange-pink coloration of males in life; the pink rose (fiyatoshi finifenmaa in Dhivehi) is also the national flower of the Maldives, where this species occurs
Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis Randall & Carpenter 1980 flavus, yellow; dorsalis, dorsal, referring to bright-yellow outer half of dorsal fin of males
Cirrhilabrus greeni Allen & Hammer 2017 in honor of Tim Green of Monsoon Aquatics, collector of fishes and corals for the aquarium trade (Darwin, Australia), who collected type
Cirrhilabrus humanni Allen & Erdmann 2012 in honor of Paul Humann (b. 1937), underwater photographer and author, who first sighted this wrasse while diving with fellow photographer-authors Ned and Anna DeLoach; “Paul has been an important contributor to our knowledge of reef fishes through the publications of his company New World Publications, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida”
Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus Allen & Hammer 2016 hygros, wet; xeros, dry, referring to monsoonal cycle of wet and dry seasons of northern tropical Australia, where it occurs (Timor Sea); name also acknowledges Monsoon Aquatics, a collector of fishes and corals for the aquarium trade (Darwin) that supplied all of the type specimens and “continues to be an excellent source of specimens” for the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin)
Cirrhilabrus isosceles Tea, Senou & Greene 2016 named for distinctive triangle of color on midportion of caudal fin of terminal-phase males
Cirrhilabrus joanallenae Allen 2000 in honor of Allen’s mother, Joan Mary Allen of Pensacola, Florida (USA)
Cirrhilabrus johnsoni Randall 1988 in honor of David S. Johnson, an underwater photographer at Kwajalein Atoll (Marshall Islands) who first observed this wrasse and helped collect type specimens
Cirrhilabrus jordani Snyder 1904 in honor of ichthyologist David Starr Jordan (1851-1931), who provided “much help” and “many valuable suggestions” in the preparation of the paper in which description appeared
Cirrhilabrus katherinae Randall 1992 in honor of Katherine A. Meyer, late wife of John W. Shepherd, Marine Laboratory at Guam, and named at his request (Shepherd collected and photographed type)
Cirrhilabrus katoi Senou & Hirata 2000 in honor of Shoichi Kato, owner of Regulus Diving (Hachijo Island, Japan), who collected type
Cirrhilabrus laboutei Randall & Lubbock 1982 in honor of Pierre Laboute (b. 1942), marine biologist and professional diver, whose 1976 underwater photo was the first of this colorful wrasse; he advised the senior author where to collect fishes in New Caledonia
Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus Randall & Masuda 1991 leaf-like, referring to distinctive shape of caudal fin, particularly of the male
Cirrhilabrus lineatus Randall & Lubbock 1982 lined, referring to numerous purple lines on head and body of both males and females
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki Randall & Carpenter 1980 in honor of Hugh Roger Lubbock (1951-1981), marine biologist, who obtained the first specimen and suspected that it represented an undescribed species [Lubbock died in a car crash in Rio de Janeiro just shy of his 30th birthday]
Cirrhilabrus lunatus Randall & Masuda 1991 crescent-shaped, referring to lunate caudal fin of the male, then unique to the genus (others have since been described)
Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus Randall 1988 luteus, yellow; vittatus, banded or striped, referring to yellow stripe on lower side of male
Cirrhilabrus marinda Allen, Erdmann & Dailami 2015 in honor of the Bupati and Vice Bupati of Raja Ampat, Marcus Wanma and Inda Arfan, who have “ably led the world’s most marine biodiverse regency since 2003. Under their wise and forward-thinking leadership, Raja Ampat’s coral reefs are now amongst the best managed in the Coral Triangle, with nearly 1.5 million hectares of the archipelago contained within Indonesia’s largest marine protected area network” (name is based on a combination of the first part of their respective names, Mar[cus] and Inda, treated as a noun in apposition without the plural genitive suffix –orum)
Cirrhilabrus marjorie Allen, Randall & Carlson 2003 in honor of Marjorie Awai, Curator of the Florida Aquarium, former Curatorial Assistant, Ichthyology Department, Bishop Museum (Honolulu), and wife of third author [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]
Cirrhilabrus melanomarginatus Randall & Shen 1978 melanos, black; marginatus, edged or bordered, referring to broad black margin on dorsal fin of specimens as small as 56 mm SL
Cirrhilabrus morrisoni Allen 1999 in honor of Hugh Morrison (b. 1951), longtime friend and owner of Perth Diving Academy, for “much appreciated service” to the Western Australian Museum; he “generously allowed [Allen] and other museum staff to join his diving expeditions and had enthusiastically donated numerous molluscan specimens” to the Museum
Cirrhilabrus nahackyi Walsh & Tanaka 2012 in honor of marine aquarium-fish collector Anthony “Tony” Nahacky, who supplied type specimens and detailed information on type locality
Cirrhilabrus naokoae Randall & Tanaka 2009 in honor of the junior author’s wife Naoka
Cirrhilabrus punctatus Randall & Kuiter 1989 spotted, referring to numerous pale dots on head and body of both male and female color phases
Cirrhilabrus pylei Allen & Randall 1996 in honor of ichthyologist Richard L. Pyle (b. 1967), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who collected type
Cirrhilabrus randalli Allen 1995 in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), for his “outstanding” contribution to our knowledge of Indo-Pacific coral reef fishes
Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis Randall 1988 –alis, adjectival suffix: referring to rhomboidal shape of caudal fin
Cirrhilabrus roseafascia Randall & Lubbock 1982 rosea, rosy; fascia, band or stripe, referring to deep-pink stripe along back of females
Cirrhilabrus rubeus Victor 2016 red, referring to bright-red color of terminal-phase males
Cirrhilabrus rubrimarginatus Randall 1992 ruber, red; marginatus, edged or bordered, referring to broad red margins of dorsal and caudal fins
Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis Randall & Carpenter 1980 ruber, red; pinnis, fin, referring to bright-red dorsal, anal and pelvic fins of males (and red on the dorsal and anal fins of females)
Cirrhilabrus rubrisquamis Randall & Emery 1983 ruber-, red; squamis, scale, referring to vertically elongate red mark on each scale
Cirrhilabrus rubriventralis Springer & Randall 1974 rubrum, red; ventralis, of the belly, referring to “brilliant” red pelvic (or ventral) fins of males in life
Cirrhilabrus ryukyuensis Ishikawa 1904 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality (occurs in eastern Pacific from Indonesia and Malaysia to Philippines, north to Taiwan and Japan)
Cirrhilabrus sanguineus Cornic 1987 blood-red, referring to blood-red (or magenta) blotch descending from dorsal-fin to near anal fin of males [Cornic, in a field guide to the fishes of Mauritius, did not intend to name this wrasse but did so anyway when he suggested C. sanguineus would be an appropriate name]
Cirrhilabrus scottorum Randall & Pyle 1989 –orum, commemorative suffix, plural: in honor of Sir Peter (1909-1989) and Lady Philippa Scott (1918-2010), for their “great contribution in nature conservation. Both have a keen interest in marine life of tropic seas, particularly of fishes. They organized the dive cruise to the Coral Sea and accompanied [the authors] to Osprey Reef where [they] collected and photographed this lovely fish. They marveled at the beauty of its color, and Sir Peter painted a portrait of it.” [Sir Peter, an ornithologist and son of Antarctic explorer Robert F. Scott, was one of the founders of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and designed its panda logo]
Cirrhilabrus shutmani Tea & Gill 2017 in honor of Barnett Paul Shutman, RVS Fishworld (a tropical-fish exporter in the Philippines), who provided holotype, paratypes and photos of them
Cirrhilabrus solorensis Bleeker 1853 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lawajong, Solor Island, Indonesia, type locality
Cirrhilabrus squirei Walsh 2014 in honor of Cadel Squire, who discovered and first collected this wrasse in 2008; he, along with father Lyle, brother Lyle junior, and mother Beverly, have “contributed greatly to the understanding of marine species in Queensland and throughout Australia over many years” (the brothers run Cairns Marine, a marine aquarium-fish exporter)
Cirrhilabrus temminckii Bleeker 1853 in honor of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858), director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands), who, with Hermann Schlegel, wrote a description of this wrasse but did not name it in their Fauna Japonica (1845)
Cirrhilabrus tonozukai Allen & Kuiter 1999 in honor of underwater photographer Takamasa “Tono” Tonozuka (Denpasar, Bali), who has contributed many “excellent” photos of fishes to both authors, including this species
Cirrhilabrus wakanda Tea, Pinheiro, Shepherd & Rocha 2019 named for the fictional East African nation of Wa-kanda, home of the Marvel Comics’ superhero Black Panther, which, like this mesophotic wrasse (occurring at 50-80 m), “has remained hidden from the world for a long time”; its proposed common name, Vibranium Fairy Wrasse, refers to the fictional metal vibranium, a rare substance found on Wakanda that is woven into Black Panther’s suit, similar to the wrasse’s purple chain-link scale pattern
Cirrhilabrus walindi Allen & Randall 1996 named for Walindi Plantation Resort, located on the edge of Kimbe Bay, New Britain, Papua New Guinea, type locality; Walindi provided logistic assistance during the senior author’s visits there in December 1994 and April 1996
Cirrhilabrus walshi Randall & Pyle 2001 in honor of Fenton Walsh, Cairns Marine (a marine aquarium-fish exporter in Queensland, Australia), who collected type in 1989
Cirrhilabrus xanthozonus Allen, Erdmann & Utama 2024 xanthos, yellow; zonus, unnecessary masculinization of zona (L.), band, referring to the distinctive orange zone on its lower, anterior body
Coris Lacepède 1801 korys, helmet, referring to scaly plate that encompasses skull, eyes and jaws of all wrasses
Coris atlantica Günther 1862 –ica, belonging to: Atlantic Ocean, presumably referring to type locality off Sierra Leone (occurs in eastern Atlantic from Cape Verde Islands to Gabon)
Coris auricularis (Valenciennes 1839) pertaining to the ear, referring to dark-blue mark on rear of gill cover of large terminal-phase males
Coris aurilineata Randall & Kuiter 1982 aureus, gold; lineatus, lined, referring to golden-yellow lines in life, found in both juvenile and adult stages
Coris aygula Lacepède 1801 a word of uncertain provenance used by Lacepède and others to mean egret (the bird) and the French aigrette, ornamental headdresses usually made from feathers, presumably referring to elongated first dorsal-fin ray of terminal-phase males
Coris ballieui Vaillant & Sauvage 1875 in honor of Pierre Étienne Théodore Ballieu (1828-1885), French consul to the Sandwich Islands (Hawai‘i), who provided Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris) with many specimens from Hawai‘i, including type of this wrasse (see also Thalassoma ballieui, Labriformes part 2)
Coris batuensis (Bleeker 1856) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Batu Island, Indonesia, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Maldives and Chagos Archipelago east to Marshall Islands, Fiji and Tonga, north to southern Japan, south to Western Australia)
Coris bulbifrons Randall & Kuiter 1982 bulbus, swelling; frons, forehead, referring to prominent convexity that develops on head anterodorsal to eye of adults of both sexes
Coris caudimacula (Quoy & Gaimard 1834) caudi-, tail; macula, spot, referring to large, diffuse and blackish spot usually present at caudal-fin base
Coris centralis Randall 1999 central, referring to its occurrence at the Line Islands in the central Pacific
Coris cuvieri (Bennett 1831) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Georges Cuvier (1769-1832), whose work on fishes culminated with his contributions to Histoire naturelle des poissons (1828-1831)
Coris debueni Randall 1999 in honor of Spanish ichthyologist and oceanographer Fernando de Buen y Lozano (1895-1962), who had intended to describe this wrasse
Coris dorsomacula Fowler 1908 dorsum, back; macula, spot, referring to black spot at base of posterior dorsal-fin rays of females
Coris flava Fricke & Durville 2021 Latin for yellow, referring to its characteristic yellow coloration of during both initial and terminal phases
Coris flavovittata (Bennett 1828) flavus, yellow; vittatus, banded, referring to 4-6 longitudinal yellowish-white stripes on sides of juveniles
Coris formosa (Bennett 1830) beautiful, “one of the most beautiful” fishes of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
Coris gaimard (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) patronym not identified but certainly in honor of Quoy’s fellow naturalist and collaborator Joseph Paul Gaimard (1796-1858), naval surgeon upon ship from which type was collected; although it may appear that Gaimard co-named a species after himself, his partner Quoy was probably solely responsible for the description, which appeared in a larger zoological survey under a shared byline [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]
Coris hewetti Randall 1999 in honor of Jeremy Hewett (no other information available), who collected type with a spear in 1957
Coris julis (Linnaeus 1758) from ilus, ancient name for a red labrid dating to at least Aristotle, perhaps from ion, violet
Coris latifasciata Randall 2013 latus, broad; fasciata, banded, referring to six dusky orange bars dorsally on body of adults
Coris marquesensis Randall 1999 –ensis, suffix denoting place: Marquesas Islands, where it is endemic
Coris melanura (Lowe 1839) melanos, black; oura, tail, referring to “deep blackness of the caudal fin and hinder part of the tail or body”
Coris musume (Jordan & Snyder 1904) from Musume-bera, its local name in Japan (per Jordan et al. 1913)
Coris nigrotaenia Mee & Hare 1995 nigro-, black; taenia, band, referring to vertically elongate black band below dorsal-fin base of both juveniles and adults
Coris pictoides Randall & Kuiter 1982 –oides, having the form of: referring to its “great similarity” in color to C. picta
Coris picta (Bloch & Schneider 1801) painted, described as having a cinnabar dorsal fin, a sky-blue back, and short transverse streaks on sides (the wavy or comb-like black stripe from snout through eye to caudal-fin base)
Coris roseoviridis Randall 1999 roseo-, rose red; viridis, green, referring to combined rose-red-and-green color of adult males in life
Coris sandeyeri (Hector 1884) in honor of Andreas Fleming Stewart Sandager, Assistant Lighthouse Keeper at Tiritiri Matangi Island (Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand) and amateur naturalist, who collected type [since Hector consistently misspelled Sandager’s name as “Sandeyer,” that spelling is retained]
Coris schroederii (Bleeker 1858) in honor of T. W. Schröder, Captain of the Infantry in the Royal Dutch East Indies Army and member of the Royal Naturalist Society, who provided holotype
Coris variegata (Rüppell 1835) variegated, referring to combination of colors and markings, described as having light brown-green back and bluish flesh-colored belly (the colors merging in middle of body), yellow horizontal lines on upper body, dark-brown scales scattered about, six stripes running down from dorsal fin, rhombic blue patch behind eye, three fine blue lines across preoperculum, crimson iris, purple stripes on dorsal and anal fins, flesh-colored pectoral fins with a dark-blue spot at base, and isabelline tail
Coris venusta Vaillant & Sauvage 1875 lovely or beautiful, allusion not explained but probably referring to male coloration, which is highly variable; type specimen is described as having 3-4 irregular longitudinal lines of vermilion red color on a greenish body
Cryptotomus Cope 1871 cryptos, hidden; tomus, cutting (teeth), presumably referring to “Interior series of teeth in both jaws consolidated into a single cutting body on each side,” i.e., the teeth form a more or less continuous cutting edge and therefore are not clearly recognizable as teeth
Cryptotomus roseus Cope 1871 rosy, referring to “rosy purple” body color, most purple on the cheeks
Ctenolabrus Valenciennes 1839 cteno, comb, i.e., a Labrus with a pectinate preoperculum
Ctenolabrus rupestris (Linnaeus 1758) living among rocks, allusion not explained but this wrasse normally occurs in areas dominated by rocks or boulders with many crevices to hide in
Cymolutes Günther 1861 etymology not explained, perhaps cymo-, of the waves and lutes, bather, possibly referring to what Günther assumed was its habitat (C. praetextatus, type species, usually occurs in sandy reef flats and shallow lagoons)
Cymolutes lecluse (Quoy & Gaimard 1824) in memory of naval surgeon M. (Monsieur) de Lécluse, presumably aboard ship from which type was collected; Quoy & Gaimard said he died of yellow fever [presumably a noun in apposition, without the genitive “i”]
Cymolutes praetextatus (Quoy & Gaimard 1834) fringed, referring to orange border on dorsal and anal fins
Cymolutes torquatus (Valenciennes 1840) adorned with a necklace (or collar), perhaps referring to diagonal black streak behind operculum and above base of pectoral fin
Decodon Günther 1861 deci-, ten, odon, tooth, referring to 10 canine teeth of D. puellaris (8 anterior, 2 posterior)
Decodon grandisquamis (Smith 1968) grandis, large; squamis, scale, referring to “strikingly” large deciduous scales
Decodon melasma Gomon 1974 black spot, referring to characteristic single black mark on each side of body of large specimens
Decodon pacificus (Kamohara 1952) –icus, belonging to: presumably referring to occurrence in Pacific Ocean off Japan (described from Mimase, Kochi Prefecture; also occurs off Taiwan and northern Australia and in the Indian Ocean off Myanmar)
Decodon puellaris (Poey 1860) pretty, from puella, girl, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to coloration of adults (reddish above, whitish below, with yellow lines on body), and/or to the fact that 19th-century Cuban fishermen called it doncella, Spanish for maiden, not distinguishing it from Halichoeres garnoti, which usually goes by that name (apparently following a Portuguese tradition of giving labrids vernacular names alluding to women, e.g., Bodianus, Scarus vetula)
Diproctacanthus Bleeker 1862 di-, two; procto-, anus; acanthus, thorn or spine, referring to two anal-fin spines
Diproctacanthus xanthurus (Bleeker 1856) xanthus, yellow; oura, tail, referring to yellow caudal fin of adults (black in juveniles)
Doratonotus Günther 1862 doratos, spear; notus, back, presumably referring to nine dorsal-fin spines, the first two spines “half as long as the head, whilst the following decrease in length to the ninth, which, again, is nearly as long as the second”
Doratonotus megalepis Günther 1862 mega-, large; lepis, scale, referring to body “covered with large scales”
Dotalabrus Whitley 1930 dota-, etymology not explained nor evident; Labrus, type genus of family
Dotalabrus alleni Russell 1988 in honor of Gerald R. Allen (b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), who collected type series and drew Russell’s attention to this species
Dotalabrus aurantiacus (Castelnau 1872) orange-colored, described as having a “beautiful orange colour” (presumably referring to males, which vary in color from reddish to yellow-brown, orange or greenish)
Epibulus Cuvier 1815 one who plots or schemes, based on Bedrieger (deceiver or trickster), Dutch name for E. insidiator given by artist and publisher Louis Renard (ca. 1678-1746) in 1719, who wrote that it “sits at the bottom like a dull fellow,” having a “long snout hidden in the mouth [protrusible jaws], which it throws out with great agility to capture any prey that comes too close” (translation); when not in use the jaws are tucked away inside the mouth, giving the fish a deceptively normal appearance
Epibulus brevis Carlson, Randall & Dawson 2008 short, referring to distinctly smaller size (185 mm SL) compared to E. insidiator (up to 240 mm SL)
Epibulus insidiator (Pallas 1770) ambusher or lurker, presumably referring to belief among early naturalists that it feeds on terrestrial insects by shooting droplets of water from its elongated snout (a feeding strategy well-known among archerfishes, Carangiformes: Toxotidae); in actuality, this wrasse uses its highly protrusible jaws, which unfold into a tube and can extend up to 65% the length of its head (the most extreme jaw protrusion among fishes), to catch aquatic prey (e.g., small fishes and crustaceans)
Eupetrichthys Ramsay & Ogilby 1888 eu-, well or very and petro, rock, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its large cycloid scales; ichthys, fish (Russell 1988 interprets name as “beautiful rock,” referring to its beautiful color pattern)
Eupetrichthys angustipes Ramsay & Ogilby 1888 angustus, narrow; pes, foot, referring to elongated ray of ventral fin, one of the characters used to distinguish the genus (Russell 1988 translates name as angustus, slender and stipes, trunk, referring to its elongate body, but we believe this is incorrect)
Frontilabrus Randall & Condé 1989 frontis, forehead, referring to strongly arched dorsal profile of head; labrus, referring to the family Labridae
Frontilabrus caeruleus Randall & Condé 1989 blue, referring to overall blue coloration
Gomphosus Lacepède 1801 from gomphos, nail or pin, referring to protracted beak-like snout
Gomphosus caeruleus Lacepède 1801 blue, referring to blue (actually dark blue-green) body color of males
Gomphosus klunzingeri Klausewitz 1962 proposed as a subspecies of G. caeruleus in honor of German physician and zoologist Carl Benjamin Klunzinger (1834-1914), who collected type and reported it (in 1871) as G. caeruleus
Gomphosus varius Lacepède 1801 different or variable, referring to general color of males, described as a combination of red, yellow and blue
Haletta Whitley 1947 –etta, dimunitive connoting endearment: in honor of Herbert M. Hale (1895-1963), Director of the South Australian Museum
Haletta semifasciata (Valenciennes 1840) semi-, half; fasciatus, banded, referring to 5-6 faint bars or markings on upper body of males
Halichoeres Rüppell 1835 halios, sea; choiros, hog, i.e., hog of the sea or hogfish, referring to elongated conical tooth at each corner of mouth, pointed outwards and forwards, and usually protruding beyond the flesh of lips, which reminded Rüppell of the canine teeth of a boar
Halichoeres adustus (Gilbert 1890) browned or scorched, presumably referring to “warm brown” color, “darker at the bases of the scales”
Halichoeres aestuaricola Bussing 1972 aestuarius, tidal estuary; –icola, dweller or inhabitant, referring to brackish-water habitat (estuaries, mangroves and tidal creeks)
Halichoeres argus (Bloch & Schneider 1801) Argus, mythical hundred-eyed guardian of Io, whose eyes after death were transformed into the feathers of a peacock, referring to red spot, edged with blue and black, on each scale of terminal-phase males
Halichoeres bathyphilus (Beebe & Tee-Van 1932) bathy, deep; philos, fond of, referring to capture of type specimen at 155 m
Halichoeres bicolor (Bloch & Schneider 1801) bi-, two, described as having two colors, dark or dusky above, yellowish below (presumably an adult male)
Halichoeres binotopsis (Bleeker 1849) bi-, two; notos, back; opsis, eye, presumably referring to two black, red-edged eyespots (ocelli) on dorsal fin of females
Halichoeres biocellatus Schultz 1960 bi-, two; ocellatus, having eye-like spots, referring to pair of ocellate black spots on dorsal fin of juveniles and females
Halichoeres bivittatus (Bloch 1791) bi-, two; vittatus, striped, referring to two dark longitudinal stripes on sides
Halichoeres bleekeri (Steindachner & Döderlein 1887) patronym not identified but clearly in honor of Dutch medical doctor and ichthyologist Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878), whose works are cited many times by Steindachner & Döderlein
Halichoeres brasiliensis (Bloch 1791) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Brazil, where it occurs along the Brazilian continental shelf
Halichoeres brownfieldi (Whitley 1945) in honor of Edward John Brownfield, Acting Chief Inspector of Fisheries and Game, Perth, Australia
Halichoeres burekae Weaver & Rocha 2007 in honor of Joyce Burek, who first photographed the terminal phase-male, and in appreciation of the “talents and generosity” of Joyce and Frank Burek for donating their underwater photographs to the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (Gulf of Mexico) and their ongoing support of Sanctuary research and education (they brought this wrasse to the attention of researchers for identification) [although two people are honored, “burekae” is not emended to “burekorum” since it appears Joyce was the primary recipient of the dedication]
Halichoeres californicus (Günther 1861) Californian, referring to Monterey, California (USA), type locality [replacement name for Julis modestus Girard 1854, preoccupied by J. modestus Bleeker 1847]
Halichoeres caudalis (Poey 1860) of the tail, referring to caudal fin, rounded medially, concave toward its points, the upper lobe longer than lower
Halichoeres chierchiae Di Caporiacco 1948 in honor of Gaetano Chierchia (1850-1922), commander of the Italian naval corvette Vettor Pisani from which type (now lost) was collected [although named after a man, “ae” is an acceptable way to form a genitive from a masculine noun that ends in “a”]
Halichoeres chlorocephalus Kuiter & Randall 1995 chloros, green; cephalus, head, referring to bright-green head of males and anterior head of females
Halichoeres chloropterus (Bloch 1791) chloro-, green; pterus, fin, referring to green fins of males (which also have a green body)
Halichoeres chrysotaenia (Bleeker 1853) chrysos, gold; taenia, band, referring to orange stripes on head and body of females
Halichoeres chrysus Randall 1981 golden, referring to bright-yellow color of both males and females
Halichoeres claudia Randall & Rocha 2009 in honor of the junior author’s wife Claudia, also a marine biologist, for her “continued support and help with lab work” [a noun in apposition, without the genitive “ae”]
Halichoeres cosmetus Randall & Smith 1982 adorned, referring to its “brilliant and complex” colors
Halichoeres cyanocephalus (Bloch 1791) cyano-, blue; cephalus, head, described and illustrated as having a blue head; in actuality, head is yellow in adults with a blue stripe in center of snout of terminal-phase males
Halichoeres dimidiatus (Agassiz 1831) halved, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to upper half of body colored differently from the lower (this can be seen in plate that accompanied the description but is more evident in photos of terminal-phase males in which a bright-blue band separates yellow back and white belly)
Halichoeres discolor Bussing 1983 variegated or particolored, referring to mottled color pattern of juveniles, unlike striped color pattern of adults
Halichoeres dispilus (Günther 1864) di-, two; spilos, mark or spot, presumably referring to black spot on lateral line above pectoral fin and another on base of tail, described as “very distinct” on young specimens
Halichoeres erdmanni Randall & Allen 2010 in honor of “esteemed colleague” Mark V. Erdmann (b. 1968), marine biologist, who collected type
Halichoeres garnoti (Valenciennes 1839) in honor of Prosper Garnot (1794-1838), French naval surgeon, naturalist and collector, aboard La Coquille during its circumnavigation of the world (1822-1825); he provided type from Martinique Island, West Indies
Halichoeres gurrobyi Victor 2016 in honor of Chabiraj (Yam) Gurroby, for his 35 years of efforts in observing and collecting the fishes of Mauritius (including type of this wrasse); he operates Ornamental Marine World Ltd., a marine aquarium-fish exporter, with his children Mohesh and Meneeka Gurroby
Halichoeres hartzfeldii (Bleeker 1852) in honor of German physician Joseph Hartzfeld (1815-1885), Principal Medical Officer, Royal Dutch East Indies Army, who collected type, and whose collections, Bleeker said earlier in 1852, improved the scientific knowledge of Ambon Island’s fish fauna
Halichoeres hilomeni Randall & Allen 2010 in honor of Vincent V. Hilomen, University of the Philippines Los Baños, for his efforts in obtaining collection and export permits and arranging the shipment of type specimens to the authors
Halichoeres hortulanus (Lacepède 1801) belonging to a garden, allusion not explained nor evident, perhaps referring to its multiple colorful spots and blotches, like a flower bed in bloom (but Lacepède did not mention colors or color pattern); one online reference (Mazza 2013, Monaco Nature Encyclopedia) claims the name means “gardener,” referring to its habit of turning up sand and coral fragments looking for food, but Lacepède did not mention this behavior
Halichoeres inornatus (Gilbert 1890) undecorated, described as having a “Nearly uniform olivaceous” body color in spirits, with “translucent, unmarked” fins (described from one preserved specimen; living individuals are salmon-pink to orange with bright-blue stripes on body and fins)
Halichoeres insularis Allen & Robertson 1992 of islands, described from Socorro Island, Revillagigedo Islands, in the eastern Pacific of México
Halichoeres iridis Randall & Smith 1982 of the rainbow, referring to the many colors that can be seen on a single individual
Halichoeres kallochroma (Bleeker 1853) kallos, beauty; chroma, color, a “pretty species very recognizable by its strongly expressed colors” (translation)
Halichoeres kneri Bleeker 1862 in honor of the “celebrated” (translated) Austrian ichthyologist Rudolph Kner (1810-1869)
Halichoeres lamarii (Valenciennes 1839) in honor of French explorer, naturalist and pharmacist Christophe-Augustin Lamare-Picquot (1785-1873), who provided type from Mauritius (Valenciennes spelled the name “Lamarre-Picquot” in the text)
Halichoeres lapillus Smith 1947 small stone or pebble, allusion not explained, perhaps in some way referring to “groups of blue-edged green diamond-shaped patches, each on one scale”; contemporary photos of females show white spots on body and dorsal fin, which could be said to resemble pebbles
Halichoeres leptotaenia Randall & Earle 1994 leptos, thin; taenia, band, referring to three narrow salmon-pink stripes on body
Halichoeres leucoxanthus Randall & Smith 1982 leucos, white; xanthus, yellow, referring to “striking” half-white (lower body) and half-yellow (upper body) coloration
Halichoeres leucurus (Walbaum 1792) leuco-, white; oura, tailed, described as having a white margin along caudal fin (contemporary photos show what could be described as a yellow margin)
Halichoeres maculipinna (Müller & Troschel 1848) macula, spot; pinna, fin, referring to black spot on dorsal fin, most prominent on terminal-phase males
Halichoeres malpelo Allen & Robertson 1992 named for Malpelo Island, eastern Pacific, west of Colombia, only known area of occurrence
Halichoeres margaritaceus (Valenciennes 1839) pearly, referring to pearly white blotches on lower sides of intermediate-phase females; Valenciennes also mentioned a pearly white line under the eye
Halichoeres marginatus Rüppell 1835 edged or bordered, allusion not explained, possibly referring to margins of dorsal, anal and caudal fins with a “double-colored hem, yellow-brown inside, sky-blue outside” (translation)
Halichoeres melanochir Fowler & Bean 1928 melanos, black; cheiros, hand, referring to large black spot covering pectoral-fin base
Halichoeres melanotis (Gilbert 1890) melanos, black; otis, ear, referring to jet-black spot on opercular flap
Halichoeres melanurus (Bleeker 1851) melano-, black; oura, tailed, referring to black caudal-fin tip of males
Halichoeres melas Randall & Earle 1994 black, referring to body color, “very unusual” for the genus; name is “doubly appropriate” because type locality, Sawda (Arabic for black) Island, Oman, is named for the dark color of much of the rock of this desert isle
Halichoeres melasmapomus Randall 1981 melasma, black spot; pomus, lid or covering, referring to large black spot on opercle, the most characteristic color marking at all color phases
Halichoeres miniatus (Valenciennes 1839) bright red or scarlet, probably referring to pink belly of females (which Valenciennes, working from a dried specimen, presumed was red in life)
Halichoeres nebulosus (Valenciennes 1839) cloudy, referring to several cloudy black spots from middle of body to caudal-fin base (presumably a female as males tend to lose these spots)
Halichoeres nicholsi (Jordan & Gilbert 1882) in honor of Capt. Henry E. Nichols (d. 1899), U.S. Navy, commander of the U.S. Coast and Geogetic Survey steamer Hassler, who “took much pains to make collections of fishes whenever they were obtainable,” including type of this wrasse
Halichoeres nigrescens (Bloch & Schneider 1801) blackish, described as having a blackish body speckled with yellow spots (actual life colors: males are pale green above with reddish-brown bars on sides, females are greenish brown above with small pale spots along middle of sides)
Halichoeres notospilus (Günther 1864) notos, back; spilos, mark or spot, presumably referring to 4-5 “indistinct broad brown cross bars” on back, with a series of corresponding blotches on the dorsal fin
Halichoeres orientalis Randall 1999 eastern, referring to its occurrence in southern Japan and Taiwan
Halichoeres ornatissimus (Garrett 1863) very ornate or decorated, referring to its coloration, with green scales margined with vermillion red, and emerald-green head “ornamented” with vermillion-red stripes, themselves margined with “brilliant” blue
Halichoeres pallidus Kuiter & Randall 1995 pale, referring to near-white appearance under available light at the depth (37-64 m) at which it occurs
Halichoeres papilionaceus (Valenciennes 1839) butterfly-like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to ocellus or eyespot on dorsal fin of females
Halichoeres pardaleocephalus (Bleeker 1849) etymology not explained, presumably pardalis, leopard (i.e., with leopard-like spots) and cephalus, head, described as having several blue spots on head
Halichoeres pelicieri Randall & Smith 1982 in honor of Daniel Pelicier (1946-2018), aquarium fish collector and exporter in Flic en Flac (a village in Mauritius), who obtained all but one of the type specimens and provided photographs of holotype and male phase
Halichoeres penrosei Starks 1913 in honor of Richard Alexander Fullerton Penrose, Jr. (1863-1931), American mining geologist and entrepreneur, for his “interest” in the Stanford University expedition to Brazil, during which type was collected
Halichoeres pictus (Poey 1860) painted, referring to its varied combination of colors (learning it the vernacular name Rainbow Wrasse)
Halichoeres podostigma (Bleeker 1854) podos, foot; stigma, mark or spot, referring to black spot in middle of ventral fin of juveniles
Halichoeres poeyi (Steindachner 1867) in honor of Cuban ichthyologist Felipe Poey (1799-1891), who described the similar H. pictus in 1860
Halichoeres prosopeion (Bleeker 1853) mask, allusion not explained, but described as having three purple bands over the head (modern accounts indicate adults have a purplish head)
Halichoeres radiatus (Linnaeus 1758) beaming or shining, presumably referring to blue-gray-to-blue lines radiating from eyes of adults
Halichoeres richmondi Fowler & Bean 1928 in honor of ornithologist Charles W. Richmond (1868-1932), U.S. National Museum
Halichoeres rubricephalus Kuiter & Randall 1995 ruber, red; cephalus, head, referring to bright-red head of males
Halichoeres rubrovirens Rocha, Pinheiro & Gasparini 2010 ruber, red; virens, green, referring to distinctive red-and-green color pattern of adults
Halichoeres salmofasciatus Allen & Robertson 2002 salmo-, salmon; fasciatus, banded, referring to salmon-red stripes on initial-phase adults
Halichoeres sanchezi Victor, Frable & Ludt 2024 in honor of Carlos Armando Sanchez Ortiz, Programa de Investigacion para la Conservacion de la Fauna Arrecifal (PFA), Biologia Marina, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS) in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, for his contributions to the study of the marine communities of Pacific Mexico, and who organized the 2022 expedition during which this species was first collected
Halichoeres sazimai Luiz, Ferreira & Rocha 2009 in honor of Ivan Sazima, Museu de Zoologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil), for his contributions to the advancement of the natural history and taxonomy of Brazilian reef fishes, and for his “exemplary guidance, which influenced a generation of Brazilian ichthyologists”
Halichoeres scapularis (Bennett 1832) of the shoulder, described as having a “wide humeral band” (translation), perhaps referring to beginning of dark-brown zigzag stripe from eye to caudal-fin base on sides of adults
Halichoeres semicinctus (Ayres 1859) semi-, half; cinctus, belted, referring to prominent pale-edged black bar on lower two-thirds of side, a short distance behind base of pectoral fin, on terminal-phase males
Halichoeres signifer Randall & Earle 1994 signum, flag or sign; fero, to bear, referring to blue-edged black spot at front of dorsal fin of males during courtship; when the male elevates its dorsal fin, the spot is very conspicuous
Halichoeres socialis Randall & Lobel 2003 social (i.e., seeking companionship), referring to how it forms true schools (as distinct from a loose aggregation) when stressed, possibly the only labrid to form such compact schools
Halichoeres solorensis (Bleeker 1853) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lawajong, Solor Island, Indonesia, type locality (occurs in western Pacific from eastern Indonesia, east to the Philippines and New Guinea)
Halichoeres stigmaticus Randall & Smith 1982 marked, referring to prominent blackish U-shaped mark between lateral line and pectoral-fin tips of terminal-phase males
Halichoeres tenuispinis (Günther 1862) tenuis, thin; spinis, spine, referring to slender and flexible dorsal-fin spines, as long as the rays
Halichoeres timorensis (Bleeker 1852) –ensis, suffix denoting place: Timor Island, southern Malay Archipelago, type locality (occurs in Indo-West Pacific from Maldives, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, east to Indonesia and New Guinea)
Halichoeres trimaculatus (Quoy & Gaimard 1834) tri-, three; maculatus, spotted, referring to three large black spots along lateral line of terminal-phase males (initial-phase adults have only two)
Halichoeres trispilus Randall & Smith 1982 tri-, three; spilos, mark or spot, referring to series of three black spots that appear at three different locations: along back, on dorsal fin (though posterior two disappear in large males), and upper base of caudal fin
Halichoeres vrolikii (Bleeker 1855) in honor of Dutch anatomist-pathologist Willem Vrolik (1801-1863), whose “excellent comparative anatomical works are world famous” (translation)
Halichoeres zeylonicus (Bennett 1833) –icus, belonging to: Zeilan (i.e., Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka), type locality (widely occurs in Red Sea and Indian Ocean from east Africa, Persian Gulf and Madagascar east to western Indonesia)
Halichoeres zulu Randall & King 2010 named for the indigenous people of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, type locality
Hemigymnus Günther 1861 hemi-, partial; gymnos, bare or naked, referring to a “strip of very small scales” on cheek of H. fasciatus and H. melapterus
Hemigymnus fasciatus (Bloch 1792) banded, referring to four white bars on bodies of both males and females
Hemigymnus melapterus (Bloch 1791) mela-, black; pterus, fin, described and illustrated as having black or black-edged fins (although modern-day accounts and photographs do not describe and show black fins)
Hemigymnus sexfasciatus (Rüppell 1835) sex, six; fasciatus, banded, referring to five wide bands on body and one on caudal peduncle, black on females, dark-green on males (these bands are actually the fish’s base color, divided by bands of white)
Heteroscarus Castelnau 1872 hetero-, different, i.e., similar and/or presumed to be related to Scarus but differing in a number of characters (e.g., elongate spines of dorsal fin)
Heteroscarus acroptilus (Richardson 1846) etymology not explained, perhaps akron, peak or tip, and ptilon, wing or feather (i.e., fin), referring to elongate spines of dorsal fin, “tapering to a point”
Hipposcarus Smith 1956 hippos, horse, referring to its “typical horse-like snout”; Scarus, original genus of H. harid
Hipposcarus harid (Forsskål 1775) Arabic name for this parrotfish along the Red Sea (but widely occurs in the Indian Ocean)
Hipposcarus longiceps (Valenciennes 1840) longus, long; ceps, head, referring to elongate head, almost twice as long as its tail
Hologymnosus Lacepède 1801 holos, whole or entire; gymnosus, bare or naked, described as lacking “any easily visible scales”; in actuality, its scales are small but its head is scaleless
Hologymnosus annulatus (Lacepède 1801) ringed, referring to ~19 narrow transverse bands on sides of adults, which appear to encircle the body and meet the bands on the opposite side (they do not)
Hologymnosus doliatus (Lacepède 1801) barred, referring to ~23 narrow transverse bands on sides of adults
Hologymnosus longipes (Günther 1862) longus, long; pes, foot, referring to prolonged outer rays of ventral fin, as long as pectoral fin
Hologymnosus rhodonotus Randall & Yamakawa 1988 rhodon, rose red; notos, back, referring to coloration on neck of both initial and terminal phases