Coris picta (Comb Wrasse) Breeding Guide

Coris picta is a subtropical southwest-Pacific wrasse reaching 25 cm. As a labrid it broadcast-spawns pelagic eggs in pairs and is not reproduced in home aquaria.

Overview

Coris picta, the Comb Wrasse, is a labrid of the western Pacific, recorded from southern Queensland to northern Victoria, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, the Kermadec Islands and New Zealand. FishBase gives a maximum total length of 25 cm over fairly deep sandy bottoms around rocky reefs, usually at 3-25 m, in subtropical water of 20-26 °C. FishBase classifies it as oviparous with distinct pairing during breeding.

Sexing

FishBase does not state the sexual system for this species directly, but family Labridae is predominantly protogynous, with fish maturing as females and the largest becoming terminal-phase males. On that basis reliable visual sexing for pairing is not practical at purchase, and a group's largest fish tends to function as the male.

Conditioning

As a carnivorous wrasse of sandy reef margins, conditioning would centre on varied small meaty foods in a subtropical-temperature system with sand. No published conditioning protocol has produced spawning in captivity for C. picta.

Breeding Setup

No aquarium breeding setup exists for this species. It favours fairly deep sandy bottoms around rocky reefs and subtropical temperatures, and like other labrids it spawns over open substrate where pairs ascend to release gametes rather than using a fixed nest site.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Labrids broadcast-spawn planktonic eggs that disperse with currents, with no parental care. FishBase records distinct pairing during breeding. The triggers are environmental cues at reef scale rather than tank parameters, so spontaneous spawning is not expected in captivity.

Egg & Fry Care

Eggs are pelagic and the hatched larvae are planktonic, drifting in open water before settlement. The tiny first-feeding larval stages of broadcast-spawning wrasses cannot be sustained in home aquaria, which is why the species is not captive-bred.

Common Challenges

Pelagic broadcast spawning, planktonic larval rearing, the subtropical temperature preference and the family's protogynous social structure together make purposeful breeding impractical. C. picta should be regarded as a wild-collected display fish rather than a breeding subject.