brown wrasse
Labrus merula Linnaeus, 1758
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The brown wrasse (Labrus merula) is a species of wrasse native to the Eastern Atlantic from Portugal to Morocco, including the Azores, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. This species can reach 45 cm (18 in) in standard length, though most do not exceed more than 40 cm (16 in).
Wikipedia contributors, Brown wrasse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:56:54.002686+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Labrus merula Linnaeus, 1758
- Name authority
- Linnaeus, 1758
- Common name
- brown wrasse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Labrus
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- familyLabridae Cuvier, 1816
- subfamilyLabrinae Cuvier, 1816
- genusLabrus Linnaeus, 1758
- speciesLabrus merula Linnaeus, 1758
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Labrus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| cuckoo wrasseLabrus mixtus Linnaeus, 1758 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| green wrasseLabrus viridis Linnaeus, 1758 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| ballan wrasseLabrus bergylta Ascanius, 1767 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Labrus psittacus Risso, 1827 Risso, 1827 | synonym |
| Labrus saxorum Valenciennes, 1839 Valenciennes, 1839 | synonym |
| Labrus limbatus Valenciennes, 1839 Valenciennes, 1839 | synonym |
| Labrus livens Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Labrus nereus Risso, 1810 Risso, 1810 | synonym |
| Labrus lineolatus Valenciennes, 1839 Valenciennes, 1839 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.542 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3RL4J. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.