Species: Liopropoma eukrines, Wrasse Basslet

Liopropoma eukrines (Starck & Courtenay, 1962)

Wrasse Basslet

Body moderately elongate and compressed; head pointed, with nearly horizontal upper profile; eye moderate to large; front nostril tubular, near top lip; mouth moderately large, slightly oblique, lower jaw projecting; rear of top jaw exposed when mouth closed, without accessory bone above it, lower rear corner of top jaw bone with prominent, bluntly pointed, ventral projection; rear edge of preopercle serrated; operculum with 3 broad flat spines at rear; dorsal fin VIII, 12.5, divided to its base, 3rd spine longest; tail base deep, strongly compressed; tail rounded; scales small, rough.

Head and body pale yellow-brown to brownish red; a dark brown to red-brown stripe from the snout, through the eye and onto the tail, narrow at the front, broadening to a large triangle on the tail fin, that stripe edged above and below by thin yellow stripes; tail with thin white rear edge. Young yellow with a black stripe.

Reaches 13 cm.

Reefs.

Depth range: 20-150 m.

N Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico.