Fish of the Symphodus genus of the Labridae (wrasses) family of the Labroidei suborder of the Perciformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Symphodus melanocercus. Photo by © Jordi Regàs. cibsub.cat)
Symphodus melanocercus was first described in 1810 by the French naturalist Antoine Risso (1777-1845).
It inhabits the depth of 1-25 meters. It prefers to swim close to a rocky bottom covered with grass. The maximum recorded length is 14 cm; specimens up to 11 cm long are more common. It feeds on worms, crustaceans, and bryozoans. It is a fish-cleaner, eating ectoparasites from the scales of larger fish of other species.
(фото Allesandro Falleni. alessandrofalleni.com)
It is a permanent rare inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of Symphodus melanocercus in other languages as follows:
Llamprega (Spanish), Tordo codanera (Italian), Wargacz czarnoogonowy (Polish), Hinac crnorepi, Pešnjić crnorepi (Serbian, Croatian), Karakuyrukçırçır balığı (Turkish), Crénilabre à queue noire (French).