Mediterranean rainbow wrasse
Coris julis (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
Coris julis also known by its common name, the Mediterranean rainbow wrasse, is a Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic fish. Phylogenetically they belong to the Labridae family, also known as the wrasses. Within their genus, Coris, there are a total of 28 species. As discussed more in the Life History section below, they can present with more than one coloration. This is because they are diandric protogynous hermaphrodites. These fish are born as what scientists term primary males and females and can transition from a female to a secondary male. Primary individuals are described to be less than 18cm in length and all those larger are secondary males.
Wikipedia contributors, Mediterranean rainbow wrasse; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T12:05:25.651442+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Coris julis (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Name authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Common name
- Mediterranean rainbow wrasse
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Coris
- 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
- subfamilyJulidinae Bonaparte, 1841
- genusCoris Lacepède, 1801
- speciesCoris julis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Coris. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow corisCoris flava Fricke & Durville, 2021 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris atlantica Günther, 1862 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| clown wrasseCoris aygula Lacepède, 1801 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris ballieui Vaillant & Sauvage, 1875 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris batuensis (Bleeker, 1856) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| spottail corisCoris caudimacula (Quoy & Gaimard, 1834) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris debueni Randall, 1999 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris dorsomacula Fowler, 1908 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris flavovittata (Bennett, 1828) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris gaimard (Quoy & Gaimard, 1824) | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris nigrotaenia Mee & Hare, 1995 | LabridaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Coris roseoviridis Randall, 1999 | 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 |
|---|---|
| Julis julis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Linnaeus, 1758) | synonym |
| Julis mediterranea Risso, 1827 Risso, 1827 | synonym |
| Julis vulgaris Valenciennes, 1839 Valenciennes, 1839 | ambiguous synonym |
| Julis vulgaris Fleming, 1828 Fleming, 1828 | ambiguous synonym |
| Labrus cettii Rafinesque, 1810 Rafinesque, 1810 | synonym |
| Labrus julis Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Labrus paroticus Linnaeus, 1758 Linnaeus, 1758 | synonym |
| Labrus subfuscus Bloch & Schneider, 1801 Bloch & Schneider, 1801 | synonym |
| Labrus keslik Lacepède, 1801 Lacepède, 1801 | synonym |
| Coris festiva (Valenciennes, 1839) (Valenciennes, 1839) | synonym |
| Coris speciosa (Risso, 1827) (Risso, 1827) | synonym |
| Julis speciosa Risso, 1827 Risso, 1827 | synonym |
| Labrus giofredi Risso, 1810 Risso, 1810 | synonym |
| Labrus infuscus Walbaum, 1792 Walbaum, 1792 | synonym |
| Labrus perdica Forsskål, 1775 Forsskål, 1775 | synonym |
| Julis giofredi Risso, 1827 Risso, 1827 | 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=126963 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:YFCT. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.