Sling-jaw wrasse
No sign-up needed. You can save notes on this device.
An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
A sling-jaw wrasse can change its body colour depending on its surroundings.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Sling-jaw wrasse
- Scientific name
- Epibulus insidiator
- Japanese name
- ギチベラ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Order
- Labriformes
- Family
- Labridae
- Genus
- Epibulus
Where the name “Sling-jaw wrasse” comes from
Its English name refers to the way its mouth moves when catching prey.
Australian MuseumIt lives in coral-rich lagoons and reefs from Hachijojima and the Ryukyu Islands to Taiwan and across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.
It usually moves about alone and eats small crustaceans (relatives of shrimp and crabs) and fish living around corals.
How the Sling-jaw wrasse lives
It is often found in wave-swept areas of coral reefs. It sucks prey into its mouth when feeding.
Australian MuseumTetiaroa SocietyBasic data
- Diet
- Small crustaceans and fish
- Range
- Hachijo Island, Kushimoto in Wakayama, Yakushima, the Ryukyu Islands, Minamidaito Island, and elsewhere
Where the Sling-jaw wrasse has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- ギチベラ
- 简体中文
- 伸口鱼
- 繁體中文
- 伸口魚
- Español
- Vieja guramí
- Français
- Canard
- Deutsch
- Stülpmaullippfisch
- Português (Brasil)
- Bodião-estilingue
- Italiano
- Labro boccalunga
- Русский
- Большеротый губан
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — ギチベラChecked: 2026-11-04
- Australian Museum — Slingjaw Wrasse, Epibulus insidiator (Pallas, 1770)Checked: 2026-11-07
- 沖縄美ら海水族館 — ギチベラChecked: 2026-11-07
- Tetiaroa Society — Slingjaw WrasseChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeRELATIVES
Others in Labridae
MORE TO MEET
