Fish of the Symphodus genus of the Labridae (wrasses) family of the Labroidei suborder of the Perciformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Corkwing wrasse male. Photo by © Siscu Díaz. fotonatura.org)
Corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778).
It inhabits the depth of 1-30 meters. It prefers to swim in the coastal area close to a rocky bottom covered with sea grass, and enters lagoons. The maximum recorded length is 28 cm; specimens up to 20 cm long are more common. Males are brighter than females. It feeds on mollusks, bryozoans, worms and crustaceans.
(Corkwing wrasse female. Photo by © JC Schou. biopix.dk)
It is a permanent rare inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of corkwing wrasse (Symphodus melops) in other languages as follows:
Zwartooglipvis (Dutch), Porredana (Spanish), Tordo occhionero (Italian), Goldmaid (German), Wargacz melops (Polish), Bodião-vulgar (Portuguese), Темнополосая зеленушка (Temnopolosaja zelenushka) (Russian), Kosirica mjesečica (Serbian, Croatian), Crénilabre mélops (French).