Male Asian Sheepshead Wrasses Fighting | Semicossyphus reticulatus

These are two mature male Asian sheepshead wrasses (Semicossyphus reticulatus) fighting over territory during the breeding season. There is a female swimming away from the males in the lower left corner of the frame. During this season, the mature males take on a whitish coloration, particularly when they are approaching female wrasses and when they engage in territorial disputes with other males. The male on the left in this image is Yamato, the dominant male in this area. He is the successor to Benkei. Wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that all individuals start life as females, then eventually turn into males.

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Filename: asian-sheepshead-wrasse-males-fighting-semicossyphus-reticulatus-japan-201706-0352.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 7333x4125 / 86.6MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Bony Fish Wrasse Animalia Chordata Osteichthyes Actinopterygii Perciformes Labridae Semicossyphus reticulatus Asian Sheepshead Wrasse Kobudai Reproduction Fighting Male Pacific Japan Niigata Prefecture
Contained in galleries: Marine Life Reproduction, Fish Photos, Marine Life | Japan

These are two mature male Asian sheepshead wrasses (Semicossyphus reticulatus) fighting over territory during the breeding season. There is a female swimming away from the males in the lower left corner of the frame. During this season, the mature males take on a whitish coloration, particularly when they are approaching female wrasses and when they engage in territorial disputes with other males. The male on the left in this image is Yamato, the dominant male in this area. He is the successor to Benkei. Wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites, meaning that all individuals start life as females, then eventually turn into males.