Author: Linnaeus, 1758
Centrolabrus exoletus Linnaeus, 1758
Status in World Register of Marine Species:
Accepted name: Centrolabrus exoletus (Linnaeus, 1758) (updated 2009-06-25)
Diagnosis: snout with 5-10 pores. Upper lip with 5-7 folds. Dorsal finrays XVIII-XX + 5-7; anal finrays IV-VI + 6-8. Scales along lateral line 33-37; rows of scales on cheek 3-5, on inter-operculum 2 (7-11 scales), on temporo-occipital surface 5-8, above lateral line 3.5. Gill arch with 10-13 small rakers. Vertebrae 32-34. Colour: usually greenish, brownish, sometimes purple on back, lighter on belly. Body sides and lower part of the head yellowish, orange, with blue stripes. 1 or 2 large dusty bands across the caudal fin. Size: to 15 cm SL.
Habitat: eel-grass beds near rocks. Food: small invertebrates. Reproduction: May-July. Age and growth: to 5-6 years (French coasts). Rate of growth faster for the males than for the females. When 5 years old, males measure 13 cm and females 12 cm.
Distribution: eastern Atlantic from Norway to Portugal; Greenland.
Eggs, larvae and young stages. Ford, 1922: 693, fig. 3, 6.
Otoliths (sagitta). Chaine, 1942: 95.