Species: Halichoeres caudalis, Painted wrasse
black spot immediately behind eye
Halichoeres caudalis (Poey, 1860)
Painted 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 rakers 16-19; 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, with 26-29 pored scales.
Juvenile: like the IP, plus a black spot at the rear of the dorsal fin. Initial phase: whitish, with two dusky stripes along upper and lower body separated by a pale yellowish to orangish area; a black spot immediately behind eye. Terminal phase: head and body pinkish white to bluey-green above; 2 blue lines along snout to eye, a blue line from corner of mouth to upper operculum; a black spot partly bordered by blue immediately behind eye; several rows of blue spots on scales along body; dorsal fin with 2 rows of blue spots, anal fin with a blue stripe; tail fin with 4 central blue stripes.
Reaches 20 cm.
Rubble and sand bottoms around deep seaward reefs.
Depth range: 5-100 m.
N Carolina to E Venezuela.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Rocks
- Reef and soft bottom
- Corals
- Sand & gravel
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Bony fishes
- Data
- Mobile benthic worms
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Sessile worms
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Island (s)
- Extends South of GC
- Continent
- GC non-endemic
- Extends North of GC
- Also in Brazil
- Continent + Island (s)
- All species..
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Least concern
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 20
- Depth Range Min
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- 5
- Depth Range Max
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- 100
