Gomphosus
Genus of bird wrasses from the Indo-Pacific
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gomphosus is a small genus of wrasses native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.[3]
| Gomphosus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Green birdmouth wrasse (G. caeruleus) (top) | |
 | |
| Bird wrasse (G. varius) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Labriformes |
| Family: | Labridae |
| Subfamily: | Julidinae |
| Genus: | Gomphosus Lacépède, 1801 |
| Type species | |
| Gomphosus caeruleus Lacépède, 1801[1] | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Taxonomy
Although classified as its own genus, the genus Gomphosus is nested within the genus Thalassoma, rendering the latter paraphyletic.[4] This close affinity is reflected by the fact that in the wild, Gomphosus will sometimes create hybrid offspring with Thalassoma species.[5][6]
Species
The currently recognized species in this genus are:[3]
- Gomphosus caeruleus Lacépède, 1801 (green birdmouth wrasse)
- Gomphosus varius Lacépède, 1801 (bird wrasse)
