Green Wrasse

The Green Wrasse (Labrus viridis) is a Mediterranean and adjacent eastern-Atlantic wrasse closely related to the Ballan Wrasse, with an elongate body and variable green to reddish-brown coloration. It is strongly associated with seagrass meadows and nearby rocky reefs. Now considered uncommon in parts of its range, it is a relatively large Labrus wrasse that forages for invertebrates among vegetation and rock. Like its relatives it is a protogynous hermaphrodite and builds relationships with structured, weedy habitats for feeding and shelter.

Identify the Green Wrasse by:

• Elongate, slender body with a pointed head and long dorsal fin.
• Green to reddish-brown coloration, sometimes with fine pale spots or a light lateral line.
• Thick lips typical of Labrus wrasses.
• Moderately large, ~25-45 cm.

Its slimmer body separates it from the deeper-bodied Ballan Wrasse, and green individuals over seagrass are characteristic.

Green Wrasse inhabit seagrass meadows, especially Posidonia, and adjacent rocky reefs from shallow water to about 50 m in the Mediterranean and neighbouring eastern Atlantic. They rely on vegetated, structured habitats for cover and foraging and are generally found close to the bottom among plants and rocks.

Green Wrasse are diurnal, bottom-associated foragers that hunt small crustaceans, molluscs, and other invertebrates among seagrass and rock, using strong teeth to handle hard-shelled prey. They shelter among vegetation and rocks at night. As protogynous hermaphrodites, individuals mature first as females, with some becoming males; males court females and the species spawns in the warmer months.