[1][2][3] They are typically small, most of them less than 20 cm (7.9 in) long, although the largest, the humphead wrasse, can measure up to 2.5 m (8.2 ft).

Many smaller wrasses follow the feeding trails of larger fish, picking up invertebrates disturbed by their passing.

[4] Juveniles of some representatives of the genera Bodianus, Epibulus, Cirrhilabrus, Oxycheilinus, and Paracheilinus hide among the tentacles of the free-living mushroom corals and Heliofungia actiniformis.

[10] Many species can be readily recognized by their thick lips, the inside of which is sometimes curiously folded, a peculiarity which gave rise to the German name of "lip-fishes" (Lippfische),[11] and the Dutch name of lipvissen.

[10] The wrasses have become a primary study species in fish-feeding biomechanics due to their jaw structures.

This "four-bar linkage" has the property of allowing numerous arrangements to achieve a given mechanical result (fast jaw protrusion or a forceful bite), thus decoupling morphology from function.

Wrasses are usually found in shallow-water habitats such as coral reefs and rocky shores, where they live close to the substrate.

[18] The subgroup Labrini arose from a basal split within family Labridae during the Eocene period.

[3] Subgroup Labrini is composed of eight genera, wherein 15 of 23 species exhibit broodcare behavior,[15] which ranges from simple to complex parental care of spawn; males build algae nests or crude cavities, ventilate eggs, and defend nests against conspecific males and predators.

[20] Many species of wrasses have been recorded using large rocks or hard coral as "anvils", upon which they smash open hard-shelled prey items.

[23][22] 21 species of 8 genera have been documented exhibiting this behaviour, including Choerodon (C. anchorago, C. cyanodus, C. graphicus, C. schoenleinii), Coris (C. aygula, C. bulbifrons, C. julis, C. sandeyeri), Cheilinus (C. fasciatus, C. lunulatus, C. trilobatus), Thalassoma (T. hardwicke, T. jansenii, T. lunare, T. lutescens, T. pavo), Symphodus (S. mediterraneus), Halichoeres (H. garnoti, H. hortulanus), Bodianus (B. pulcher), and Pseudolabrus (P.

They live in a cleaning symbiosis with larger, often predatory, fish, grooming them and benefiting by consuming what they remove.

A list of 338 parasite taxa from 127 labrid fish species was provided by Muñoz and Diaz in 2015.