Sling-Jaw Wrasse Female

Sling-Jaw Wrasse Female (Epibulus insidiator)

One of the aspects that first drew me to the marine aquarium hobby was the incredible diversity of fish species. Reef inhabitants come in a wide range of shapes and colors, and they also exhibit various intriguing behaviors. Many coral reef fish may not be particularly eye-catching but are excellent aquarium residents due to their fascinating activities.  As the name suggests, this smaller relative reaches about 10 inches and has been reported in regions like New Britain and Palau.

Sling-Jaw Wrasse Female is distributed from the Red Sea to the northwest Hawaiian Islands and Tuamotus, extending north to southern Japan and south to New Caledonia. This species typically inhabits reef faces, fore reef slopes, and lagoon fringes, often found in areas rich in stony coral growth. Slingjaw wrasses can be located at depths ranging from less than one foot to 137 feet, growing up to a maximum length of 14 inches.

The name “slingjaw wrasse” comes from their highly protrusible jaws, which they use to extract prey from crevices and between coral branches. This species also showcases striking sexual dichromatism: subadults and some females are brown, while other females are a vibrant yellow.