Ornate Wrasse

Photo: Nicholas Moray Williams · CC BY

Brilliantly coloured ornate wrasse dart across the statue and surrounding reef in small harems led by a dominant male displaying vivid turquoise and pink markings. These thermophilic fish have expanded northward into Ligurian waters as sea temperatures warm, and Portofino now hosts a stable resident population. They are voracious predators of small invertebrates and play an important role in structuring the benthic community around the statue's base.