Species: Halichoeres garnoti, Yellowhead Wrasse

Halichoeres garnoti (Valenciennes, 1839)

Yellowhead 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; lateral line with 26-29 pored scales.

Juvenile: yellow to yellow-brown, with a dark-edged blue stripe from eye to end of tail base. Initial phase: upper ½ of head and upper ¾ of body under front 1/3 of dorsal fin brown; cheek, operculum and middle ½ of body yellow; lower ¼ of body white. Terminal phase: head and upper ¾ of body under front 1/3 of dorsal fin bright yellow; a thick black bar behind that joins a broad black stripe along top of back to end of tail base; body under black stripe is white; tail dark grey.

Reaches 30 cm.

Rubble and sand bottoms within and around edges of reefs; also on reefs near sand areas.

Depth range: 2-130 m.

Bermuda to the S Caribbean.