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.

High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine
- Marine Only
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore
- Inshore Only
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Rocks
- Sea anemones
- Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
- Submerged vegetation
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef and soft bottom
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Carnivore
- Data
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Mobile benthic gastropods/bivalves
- Mobile benthic worms
- Octopus/squid/cuttlefish
- Sessile worms
- Egg Type
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- Data
- No pelagic phase
- Pelagic
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- All species
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Continental primarily
- Extends North of GC
- GC endemic
- Island (s)
- All species
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- IUCN Red List
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- Least concern
- Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 15
- Depth Range Min
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- 2
- Depth Range Max
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- 50