Species: Halichoeres maculipinna, Clown Wrasse

Halichoeres maculipinna (Müller & Troschel, 1848)

Clown 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 13-15; gill membranes fused under throat; dorsal fin IX, 11, not obviously notched between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 11; 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: lower ½ white; a broad black stripe from top of mouth, through eye to end of tail base above that; a thin yellow stripe above that, and a dark brown stripe along top of back above that. Initial phase: head yellowish green, with red lines radiating forwards, up and back from eye, a red stripe from mouth to end of operculum; upper body greenish to brownish; white below, short pink bars on many of body scales; median fins reddish, a double black spot on dorsal spines ~V & VI. Terminal phase: head yellow below, green above, with red lines radiating forwards, up and back from eye, several red stripes from mouth to end of operculum; upper back brown to olive; a broad yellow stripe along flank to tail base, white below that, with a large black blotch on upper belly above anus; dorsal fin green, with red stripes and a large, elongated black spot at spines ~V-VI; anal fin green, with red stripes; tail fin green with central red stripes and red upper, lower and rear margins.

Reaches 15 cm.

Reef and adjacent sand bottoms.

Depth range: 2-50 m.

The Carolinas to the S Caribbean; its sister species in Brazil is Halichoeres penrosei.