Ornate Wrasse Thalassoma pavo

The multicoloured Ornate Wrasse, sometimes called the Turkish, is native to the Mediterranean Sea, Spanish Atlantic and West African coasts including the Azores, Cape Verde and Canary Islands.

The adult male and female have a strikingly different appearance. The male, above, is the most colourful but the actual colour and intensity can vary.

The adult female, above, is a shiny greenish background colour with five narrow, vertical bars but has the veined head of a wrasse.

They grow to some 25cm long. Females and juveniles form groups. Large males are solitary or guarding a territory and harem.

Small Ornate Wrasse can often be found in rook pools when the tide is out.

Their diet is crustaceans and molluscs.

Like other wrasse, large females can transition to male if a male is lacking.