Labrus bergylta
Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Subdivisio: Percomorphaceae
Series: Eupercaria
Ordo: Labriformes
Familia: Labridae
Genus: Labrus
Species: Labrus bergylta
Name
Labrus bergylta Ascanius, 1767
Holotype: Lectotype designated by Fricke, 1999:44 as Pl. 1 in the original description [specimen not in existence].
Type locality: Norway.
Synonyms
Crenilabrus multidentatus Thompson, 1837
Labrus balanus Fleming, 1828
Labrus ballan Bonnaterre, 1788
Labrus comber Bonnaterre, 1788
Labrus donovani Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1839
Labrus maculatus Bloch, 1792
Labrus neustriae Lacepède, 1801
Labrus nubilus Valenciennes, 1843
Labrus reticulatus Lowe, 1839
Labrus variabilis Thompson, 1837
References
Ascanius, P. 1767–1805. Icones rerum naturalium, ou figures enluminées d'histoire naturelle du Nord. Copenhagen, 1767–1806. 5 parts, 36 pp., 50 pls. Pt. 1 (1867), 22 pp., Pls. 1–10; 2 (1772), 8 pp., Pls. 11–20; 3 (1775), 6 pp., Pls. 21-30; 4 (1777), 6 pp., Pls. 31–40; 5 (1805), 8 pp., Pls. 41–50.
Parenti, P. & Randall, J.E. 2000. An annotated checklist of the species of the Labroid fish families Labridae and Scaridae. Ichthyological Bulletin of the J. L. B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology 68: 1–97.
Labrus bergylta in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2022. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 08/2021.
IUCN: Labrus bergylta Ascanius, 1767 (Least Concern)
Vernacular names
čeština: Pyskoun skvrnitý
Deutsch: Gefleckter lippfisch
English: Ballan wrasse
suomi: Viherhuulikala
français: Vieille commune
galego: Maragota
magyar: Foltos ajakoshal
Nederlands: Gevlekte lipvis
norsk: Berggylt
svenska: Berggylta
Türkçe: Kikla
The ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta) is a species of marine ray finned fish from the family Labridae, the wrasses. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it inhabits rocky areas. Like many wrasse species, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite—all fish start life as females, and some dominant fish later become males. It is used as a food fish in some areas and it is also finding use as a cleaner fish in the aquaculture of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in northwestern Europe.
Description
The ballan wrasse is a large, heavy bodied wrasse with a relatively deep body and large head. It has a smallish mouth which is surrounded by thick, fleshy, rather wrinkled lips, and the jaws are armed with a single row of robust teeth which are sharp and pointed in young fish but blunter and more worn in older fish. It has a long dorsal fin which has 18–21 spines in its anterior portion and 9–13 branched rays in the rear part. The anal fin is markedly shorter and has three spines. It has large scales with 41–47 of them in the lateral line. The juvenile fish are coloured to match their habitat and vary in from light green to dark green,[3] with some being described as bright emerald green.[4] The adults are more variable in colour, as they can either be dark green or reddish brown but are marked all over with numerous white spots.[3] It can grow to 65.9 cm (25.9 in) in total length (though most do not exceed 50 cm (20 in) standard length), and the greatest recorded weight of this species is 4.4 kg (9.7 lb). Ballan wrasses are prototgynous hermaphrodites.[2]
Distribution
Ballan wrasse are native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from Norway to Morocco, including the islands of Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands. There are records from the Mediterranean Sea but these are regarded as questionable[1] and may be misidentifications of the brown wrasse (Labrus merula).[2]
Habitat and biology
They can be found at depths from 1 to 50 m (3.3 to 164.0 ft) amongst rocks, seaweed and reefs. All ballan wrasses are female for their first four to 14 years before a few change into males. Large fish of the species are almost certainly male.[2] The thick lips and sharp front teeth of the ballan wrasse are an adaptation for extracting shellfish from rocks. These are supplemented by powerful pharyngeal teeth which are placed further back in the throat and which can break up shells to access flesh inside. This species also feeds on crustaceans and their diet includes hard-shelled crabs and small lobsters. They will swim into shallower water so that they can prey on the shellfish which cling to underwater cliff faces and inshore rocks. They will also inhabit areas with good covering of kelp and other seaweeds.[5] The male builds a nest of algae in a crevice in the rocks in which one or more females lay eggs. The male defends the nest until the eggs hatch into pelagic larvae after a week or two.[1]
Human usage
This species is popular as a food fish in the Orkney Islands off the north-eastern coast of Scotland, and in Galway, a county in the west of Ireland.[6] However, it is not highly regarded as a food fish in much of the UK and Ireland.[5]
In recent years, it has become a popular catch-and-release target for sport fishermen using light fishing tackle, particularly those employing soft plastic lures.[7][5]
It is also used to remove sea lice from Norwegian farmed salmon;[8] with 3,317,000 fish used in Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout sea pens in 2020.[9]
The technique is also being developed in Scotland.[10][11]
This species can also be found in the aquarium trade.[2]
References
Pollard, D. (2010). "Labrus bergylta". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010: e.T187398A8525211. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-4.RLTS.T187398A8525211.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2006). "Labrus bergylta" in FishBase. April 2006 version.
Alwyne Wheeler (1997) [1992]. The Pocket Guide to Salt Water Fishes of Britain and Europe. Parkgate Books. p. 117. ISBN 978-1855853645.
O. E. D. Ager (2008). H. Tyler-Walters; K. Hiscock (eds.). "Ballan wrasse (Labrus bergylta)". Marine Life Information Network. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
"Wrasse". BritishSeaFishing. 23 November 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
Alan Davidson, North Atlantic Seafood, 1979, ISBN 0-670-51524-8
David Erwin, Bernard Picton, "Guide to Inshore Marine Life" The Marine Conservation Society 1987 ISBN 0-907151-34-5
"New approach to combating sea lice: Wrasse to the rescue". The Research Council of Norway. 2010-04-23 – via ScienceDaily.
"Akvakulturstatistikk: rensefisk". Fiskeridirektoratet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2021-09-30.
"Western Isles salmon farm in wrasse 'first'". BBC News - Scotland Business. 2012-10-09.
Henderson, David (2013-11-19). "'Cleaner fish' eat salmon parasites". BBC News - Scotland Business.
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