Species: Halichoeres cyanocephalus, Yellowcheek wrasse


Halichoeres cyanocephalus (Bloch, 1791)
Yellowcheek 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 IP but with a black centered ocellus on base of tail fin and another on rear base of dorsal fin. Initial phase: upper ½ of head an along top of back bright yellow; lower head white; upper side dark blue, that color extending to the tail, white below that; tail fin dark blue broadly edged above, below and at the rear with bright yellow; dorsal fin yellow, with a black stripe along its center. Terminal phase: upper 2/3 of head and along top of back yellow; a blue stripe up the center of the snout and an oblique short dark red stripe from eye up towards nape; a broad dark blue stripe from above pectoral base to base of tail fin; tail fin mainly yellow, with a blue blotch at fin base; dorsal fin black, with a white outer margin.
Reaches 30 cm.
Rubble and sand bottoms within reefs.
Depth range: 7-100 m, usually below 20 m.
Florida to the S Caribbean.
Note: Its sister species in Brazil is Halichoeres dimidiatus.

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 only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- 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
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Ectoparasite cleaner
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Ectoparasites
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Bony fishes
- Egg Type
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- Data
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- All species.
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent + Island (s)
- All species..
- Island (s)
- Continent
- GC endemic
- Continental primarily
- 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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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Depth Range Max
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- 100
- Depth Range Min
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- 7
- Length Max
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- 30