The goldsinny wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris) is the smallest wrasse species found around the coasts of the United Kingdom. Usually growing to around 12–18cm in length, this slender fish is typically a pale reddish-brown or olive colour, with a distinctive dark spot at the base of its tail.
Goldsinny wrasse live among rocky reefs and seaweed-covered shores, where they feed on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. Agile and well-camouflaged, they are often spotted weaving through kelp or sheltering in crevices. Despite their modest size, they are an important part of coastal reef communities.
Wrasses have two sets of teeth, on in their mouth and one within their throat, called pharyngeal teeth. This helps them break down food further to aid the fact that they are agastric meaning they lack a stomach.
Remarkably, like other wrasse species, the goldsinny begins life as females. They are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning the dominant female can change sex and become male if the resident male disappears — ensuring the reef always has a breeding male.
