Peacock wrasse

Photo: wingwatcher48 · CC BY-NC

Symphodus tinca is one of the Mediterranean's most ecologically complex wrasses, with males constructing seaweed nests, actively guarding eggs, and recruiting satellite males that mimic female colouration to gain access to spawning events. At Kallithea the shallow rocky zone between 5 and 12 m supports multiple nesting territories from April through July, giving divers a front-row view of nest-building behaviour rarely seen elsewhere in Greece. The species feeds on hard-shelled invertebrates, using pharyngeal teeth to crush sea urchins, mussels, and hermit crab shells.