it's not a Smokva, not a Lepa - what is it?!

[FletchHR]

I've shot several of these, this is the biggest one I've seen/shot. I must know what it is. Do you know? (sorry, I had to clean and scale it at the sea, so it's not shown below in all it's glory)

Some Croatians say it's a Smokva, but this can't be right, as I've looked up the Smokva and it's a type of sea wrasse.... "Cuckoo wrasse" or "East Atlantic peacock wrasse" But this one looks much like a type of Perch than one of those wrasse. It has a very small gut, so cleaning it is easy and fast. They are squeaky clean inside, but a bit slimy on the outside.

The IMPORTANT THING TO NOTICE is that it has a beautiful bright blue edge on it's fins... so when it's swimming you see a neon blue line around it. This is why I know it can't be a Smokva, because they do not have the blue line.

 

[FletchHR]

ps - the closest I've come to finding it is a picture in the name data base listed under the Symphodus tinca
this picture of the same fish is shown:

but the other pictures do not look like the same fish... so I think this picture is in the wrong category.

Here's a link to the other photos in the same category

 

[scottwilson]

hey fletch

Looks like a wrasse to me mate, not sure of what type but its a wrasse, the mouth and tail give it away

the wrasse over here grow to a big size ive seen 7lbers on some of my local reefs and theres no shortage of them

 

[FletchHR]

thanks Scott , 7lbs?! whoa. they say this one's good for a soup they make here... better send one over.

well, I'm agreeing w/ you that it's a wrasse... just wondering what kind.

There are 2 very common types here, and it's neither of those. This one is much more elusive, swims completely differently than the others (uses it's tail a lot more) and acts differently.

The other types of wrasse seem to swim without moving their tail back and forth...just using their pectorals. This one swims using its tail like the "other" fish. Therefore it 'tricks' me every time into thinking its 'a good one'.

 

[Mauro]

Red eye, fin hemmed in light blue, for me this is a "Tordo Nero" - black wrasse - Labrus merula, see here:

 

[FletchHR]

That's the one! A "Black Wrasse"... I can live with that... or perhaps "Brown Wrasse" as in the Fish Base
Thanks a lot Mauro... I'd just about given up.

That's what it looks like under water... black or dark brown with a blue neon glow.

Now to find the Croatian name... they list 4
Crnac Croatia Croatian Vernacular No Labrda Croatia Croatian Vernacular No Lenac Croatia Croatian Vernacular No Vrana Croatia

this pic is of a brown one looking very much like the one I shot... under "Labrus merula" in fishbase
http://www.fishbase.org/photos/PicturesSummary.php?StartRow=0&ID=4582&what=species&TotRec=6