Oxycheilinus mentalis (Rüppell, 1828)
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
Oxycheilinus mentalis (mental wrasse) is a species of wrasse found in the Western Indian Ocean, in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
It has been known to change its colouration to match species of non-predatory parrotfish and surgeonfish. It then swims with these harmless model species and predates upon passing fish. This is a form of aggressive mimicry. Without a model fish, the mental wrasse has a reddish pink colour.
Wikipedia contributors, Oxycheilinus mentalis; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:28:19.391606+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Oxycheilinus mentalis (Rüppell, 1828)
- Name authority
- (Rüppell, 1828)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Oxycheilinus
- 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
- subfamilyCheilininae Bleeker, 1862
- genusOxycheilinus Gill, 1862
- speciesOxycheilinus mentalis (Rüppell, 1828)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Oxycheilinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| twospot wrasseOxycheilinus bimaculatus (Valenciennes, 1840) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxycheilinus celebicus (Bleeker, 1853) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxycheilinus orientalis (Günther, 1862) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxycheilinus lineatus Randall, Westneat & Gomon, 2003 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| speckled maori wrasseOxycheilinus arenatus (Valenciennes, 1840) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxycheilinus digramma (Lacepède, 1801) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxycheilinus nigromarginatus Randall, Westneat & Gomon, 2003 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Oxycheilinus unifasciatus (Streets, 1877) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Cheilinus mentalis Rüppell, 1828 Rüppell, 1828 | 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.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=277998 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:4BDMG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.