Paul Naylor turns his gaze to the Manacles Reef of Cornwall, and the diverse marine life it supports
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Inquisitive wrasse and rich biodiversity on the Manacles
‘ On the spot’ at The Manacles
Paul Naylor turns his gaze to the Manacles Reef of Cornwall, and the diverse marine life it supports
The location for my latest‘ On the spot’ piece where I look at the marine animal species you can see in a single photograph is close to the Mohegan wreck on the Manacles Reef in Cornwall. This spectacular reef is famous for rich and varied marine life( plus numerous shipwrecks) and is a Marine Conservation Zone. A more exposed rock face slightly higher up the reef would have boasted a dazzling array of jewel anemones and been more colourful, but I was particularly struck by the biodiversity in this scene when a couple of inquisitive wrasse came to check out the bubbling interlopers.
Cuckoo wrasse( Labrus mixtus) – The resplendent individual in the main photograph has the classic blue, gold and orange colouring of a male. Females are a gentler but still attractive pink shade with characteristic black and white markings along the rear of their back. This species’ main claim to fame is that youngsters start out as females but, when the situation demands( such as when a male in a group is taken by a predator) a female can change into a male. More remains to be discovered about how the change occurs but fish going through the process and with intermediate colouration can occasionally be seen.
Ballan wrasse( Labrus bergylta) – The closely related but thicker-set ballan wrasse in the centre of the photo is sporting one of the less glamorous of the many colour variations seen in this species. These fish undergo the same sex change as
Typically bold male cuckoo wrasse
Distinctive colours of a female cuckoo wrasse
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