Species: Xyrichtys martinicensis, Rosy Razorfish, Rosy Razorfish Wrasse, Straight-tail Razorfish

Xyrichtys martinicensis Valenciennes in Cuvier & Valenciennes, 1840

Rosy Razorfish, Straight-tail Razorfish, Rosy Razorfish Wrasse

Head and body oblong, strongly compressed, moderately slender; head profile not very steep, rounded, not vertical, snout bluntly pointed, with a fleshy longitudinal keel at front; eye on upper ½ of head; mouth protrusible, opens at front, thick lips; rear of top jawbone not visible on cheek; toothed grinding plates in throat; both jaws with a pair of large canines at front, no rear canine tooth; 21-25 gill rakers; gill membranes fused under throat; dorsal fin IX, 12, spines regularly spaced, not obviously notched between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 12; (rarely 13); tail fin rounded in female, straight in male; pelvics pointed but without long filaments; lateral line in 2 sections, rear section on tail base, with 5 pored scales; no scales on cheek, opercle or lower jaw or on bases of dorsal and anal fins.

Juvenile: silvery, with a brown stripe from eye to tail. Initial phase: greenish to tan above, pinkish below; face white; a diffuse orange stripe from eye to tail; a dark brown blotch on cheek bordered above and below by white areas; belly with large white blotch and thin red bars; base of tail fin reddish. Terminal phase: greenish blue; cheek & opercle golden with narrow blue bars; eye red; a black bar on pectoral base; body scales with blue vertical lines; pelvics yellow.

Size: 15 cm.

Habitat: benthic sand and seagrass bottoms.

Depth: 5-40 m.

Bermuda to the S Caribbean, also in Brazil.