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Photos of a live wrasse from the sea are currently not available, often only dead specimens or only drawings of Bodianus flavifrons can be found.
The specimen shown was a live, freshly caught wrasse, the angler will certainly have expected to catch the Masked Wrasse, especially since the wrasse is not a typical sport fishing fish or regularly caught for consumption.
At just over 42 cm in total size, this wrasse is certainly not one of the top predators in the ocean, but one look at the teeth of Bodianus flavifrons makes it clear that suitably large or small prey has little chance of escaping the jaws.
Primary stage adults are pale pink above and white below with yellow markings on the head, including two broad stripes crossing the dorsal midline of the snout and forehead, respectively, a narrow stripe directed posteroventrally from the corner of the mouth, and a yellow hue ventrally on the operculum below eye level.
Acroporens the snout runs a stripe directed posteroventrally to the lower half of the eye, forming a yellow border ventrally, and across the forehead is a stripe running from the dorsoposterior margin of the eye to the upper end of the gill opening and colored orange posterior to the eye.
The upper half of the pectoral fin base shows a narrow red spot, the lower half is white.
The dorsal and caudal fins are pale pink, the dorsal fin shows a faint pale yellow stripe covering the lower 2 / 3 of the fin to about the middle of the soft part, and with red spot showing basally between the first three or four spines.
Anal and pelvic fins are white, de basal half of pectoral fin is pale yellow with a white spot near the base.
Secondary stage adults appear to be largely like primary stage adults, except that the pink and yellow coloration is more intense, especially the yellow markings on the head, with a rather faint third yellow facial stripe across the nape of the neck that parallels the stripe on the forehead and fades above the gill opening, but continues on the back below the base of the dorsal fin as an irregular greenish spot.
Similar species: Bodianus flavifrons is morphologically very similar to the wrasse Bodianus frenchii, but differs drastically from it in the distinct yellow facial markings. The head of Bodianus adults is uniformly red or reddish brown above the jaw and white below the jaw.
The species name "flavifrons" is derived from the Latin "flavus" (yellow) and "frons" (forehead) and refers to the characteristic yellow markings on the head of adults of this species.
Jumping guard
A jumping guard prevents (nocturnal) fish from jumping out.
Wrasses, blennies, hawkfishs and gobies jump out of an unprotected tank in fright if their night rest is disturbed, unfortunately these jumpers are found dried up in the morning on carpets, glass edges or later behind the tank.
https://www.korallenriff.de/en/article/1925_5_Jump_Protection_Solutions_for_Fish_in_the_Aquarium__5_Net_Covers.html
A small night light also helps, as it provides the fish with a means of orientation in the dark!
The specimen shown was a live, freshly caught wrasse, the angler will certainly have expected to catch the Masked Wrasse, especially since the wrasse is not a typical sport fishing fish or regularly caught for consumption.
At just over 42 cm in total size, this wrasse is certainly not one of the top predators in the ocean, but one look at the teeth of Bodianus flavifrons makes it clear that suitably large or small prey has little chance of escaping the jaws.
Primary stage adults are pale pink above and white below with yellow markings on the head, including two broad stripes crossing the dorsal midline of the snout and forehead, respectively, a narrow stripe directed posteroventrally from the corner of the mouth, and a yellow hue ventrally on the operculum below eye level.
Acroporens the snout runs a stripe directed posteroventrally to the lower half of the eye, forming a yellow border ventrally, and across the forehead is a stripe running from the dorsoposterior margin of the eye to the upper end of the gill opening and colored orange posterior to the eye.
The upper half of the pectoral fin base shows a narrow red spot, the lower half is white.
The dorsal and caudal fins are pale pink, the dorsal fin shows a faint pale yellow stripe covering the lower 2 / 3 of the fin to about the middle of the soft part, and with red spot showing basally between the first three or four spines.
Anal and pelvic fins are white, de basal half of pectoral fin is pale yellow with a white spot near the base.
Secondary stage adults appear to be largely like primary stage adults, except that the pink and yellow coloration is more intense, especially the yellow markings on the head, with a rather faint third yellow facial stripe across the nape of the neck that parallels the stripe on the forehead and fades above the gill opening, but continues on the back below the base of the dorsal fin as an irregular greenish spot.
Similar species: Bodianus flavifrons is morphologically very similar to the wrasse Bodianus frenchii, but differs drastically from it in the distinct yellow facial markings. The head of Bodianus adults is uniformly red or reddish brown above the jaw and white below the jaw.
The species name "flavifrons" is derived from the Latin "flavus" (yellow) and "frons" (forehead) and refers to the characteristic yellow markings on the head of adults of this species.
Jumping guard
A jumping guard prevents (nocturnal) fish from jumping out.
Wrasses, blennies, hawkfishs and gobies jump out of an unprotected tank in fright if their night rest is disturbed, unfortunately these jumpers are found dried up in the morning on carpets, glass edges or later behind the tank.
https://www.korallenriff.de/en/article/1925_5_Jump_Protection_Solutions_for_Fish_in_the_Aquarium__5_Net_Covers.html
A small night light also helps, as it provides the fish with a means of orientation in the dark!
