Species: Halichoeres bathyphilus, Greenband Wrasse

Halichoeres bathyphilus (Beebe & Tee-Van, 1932)

Greenband Wrasse

Elongate, compressed; mouth protrusible, opens at front, thick lips; rear of top jawbone not visible on cheek; toothed grinding plates in throat; enlarged canine teeth at front of both jaws (1 pair above, 2 pairs below), a canine at rear of top jaws; gill membranes fused under throat; dorsal fin IX,10, not obviously notched between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 12; lateral line unbroken, but abruptly bent down under rear of dorsal fin, its tubes branched, except those on tail base; lateral line with 26-29 pored scales.

Initial phase: upper 2/3 of body pink, white below; a black spot on midflank under the ~4th dorsal spine; a yellow stripe from snout through eye to tail base, ending in a black spot just before tail fin; a second yellow stripe along belly and lower tail base; dorsal, tail and anal fins yellowish. Terminal phase: Grey-green above, yellow-white below; lips pinkish, side of head below eye bluish; a large black blotch on upper side under dorsal spines III-V; sometimes a blackish stripe from snout through eye to tail base; a black stripe on back along base of dorsal fin; dorsal and anal fins with a yellow stripe along its base, outer 1/3 of fin yellowish; tail fin with oblique pink and yellow stripes that join in center of fin.

Reaches 23 cm.

Lives in deep reef habitats.

Depth range: 18-275 m, rare shallower than 50 m.

N Carolina to the S Caribbean.

Note: Its Brazilian sister species is H. sazimai.