Species: Xyrichtys splendens, Green Razorfish, Green Razorfish Wrasse

Xyrichtys splendens Castelnau, 1855

Green Razorfish, Green Razorfish Wrasse

Head and body oblong, strongly compressed; head profile not very steep, snout forms a blunt point with a fleshy longitudinal keel at front; male with steeper head profile and deeper body than female; eye small, 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, without rear canine tooth; 18-21 gill rakers; gill membranes fused under throat; dorsal fin IX (a slight gap after 1st 2 spines, which are long in juvenile), 12, not obviously notched between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 13; tail fin slightly rounded; pelvics pointed with long filaments in adult; 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: mottled yellowish brown; first two dorsal spines & pelvics dark brown; 3 brown bars on body that extend onto dorsal and anal fins, tail fin base dark brown. Female: pinkish grey, outlines of body scales dark; lower head with fine blue-white bars; iris red. Male: greenish, a vertically elongate blue spot on each scale; head bluish, with 4-5 thin orange bars on cheek; iris bright red; 1-2 black, blue-ringed spots on mid flank; dorsal reddish, anal bluish, tail fin orangish.

Size: 15 cm.

Habitat: benthic on sandy bottoms and seagrass beds.

Depth: 5-90 m.

Bermuda to Brazil.