Bleeding wrasse

The bleeding wrasse (Polylepion cruentum) is a species of marine ray-finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in reefs in the eastern central Pacific Ocean.

Bleeding wrasse
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Labriformes
Family:	Labridae
Genus:	Polylepion
Species:	P. cruentum
Binomial name
Polylepion cruentum Gomon, 1977

Description

The bleeding wrasse is relatively slender for a wrasse and its body tapers noticeably towards its tail. It has large eyes and a horizontal mouth which reaches to the eye, in front of the pupil.^[2] The largest males have been measured at a total length of 24 centimetres (9.4 in).^[3] The adults are red on their heads and upper body with a whitish underside, there are three or four yellow horizontal stripes on the upper flanks and curved yellow stripes on the head. The spiny part of the dorsal fin is black^[1] with two pink stripes in the rear portion of that fin and a yellow margin. The anal fin is white with a wide yellow edge, the pelvic fins are also white and the pectoral fins are transparent but have a wide blood-red bar at their base. At the base of the dorsal lobe of the caudal fin there is a large oval-shaped red spot which becomes indistinct in the biggest fish.^[2] The juveniles are pink in colour with more yellow stripes than the adults and a large black blotch on dorsal part of the caudal peduncle.^[1]

Distribution

The bleeding wrasse is found in the central eastern Pacific Ocean from Mexico to Nicaragua, including the Cocos Islands of Costa Rica.^[1] Its range may extend south as far as Colombia and Ecuador.^[2]

Habitat and biology

The bleeding wrasse is found at depths of 150–200 metres (490–660 ft) over areas with a sandy substrate near gravel and rocky reefs.^[3] It feeds on gastropods, bivalves, crustaceans and worms.^[2] It is an oviparous species which pais during spawning^[3] and the eggs and larvae are pelagic.^[2]