Coris bulbifrons

Coris bulbifrons
Off Lord Howe Island
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Labriformes
Family:	Labridae
Genus:	Coris
Species:	C. bulbifrons
Binomial name
Coris bulbifrons J. E. Randall & Kuiter, 1982

Coris bulbifrons, the doubleheader, is a large species of wrasse in the Southern Pacific Ocean.

Taxonomy

Etymology

The specific epithet bulbifrons comes from the Latin words "bulbus" (meaning swelling or bump), and "frons" (meaning forehead). Both the scientific name and the common name "doubleheader" allude to the large hump that develops on the foreheads of both males and females.[1]

Distribution

Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, Middleton Reef, and more rarely, New South Wales.[1]

Description

The doubleheader is the largest species in the genus Coris alongside the clown coris, growing up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in length and weighing up to 14 lb (6.4 kg). Both sexes develop a prominent hump on the forehead.[1]

Growth series: from youngest juvenile to adult

Diet

Remains of gastropods, bivalves, and crabs have been observed in the gut contents of this species.[1]

References

1. Randall, John E.; Kuiter, Rudie H. (April 1982). "Three New Labrid Fishes of the Genus Coris from the Western Pacific". Pacific Science. 36 (2). ISSN 0030-8870.