Species: Halichoeres burekae, Mardi Gras wrasse
Halichoeres burekae Weaver & Rocha, 2007
Mardi Gras wrasse
Body elongate, relatively slender; snout short (7.2-8.6% of SL); 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 on upper jaw, 2 pairs on lower jaws, a pair of canines at rear of top jaws; 18 (17-20) gill rakers; gill membranes fused under throat; dorsal fin VIII-IX, 11, not obviously notched between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 12; pectoral 13 (12-13); tail fin straight in small fish, doubly concave in large males; 27 (26-27) lateral line scales; lateral line unbroken, but abruptly bent down under last 3 rays of dorsal fin, its tubes branched, except those on tail base.
Initial phase: snout yellow; rest of head and body orangish red; lower head and belly bright white; a large elongate black & blue ocellus on center rear of tail base. Terminal phase: head and upper front back purplish red to blue; mid flank with a broad yellow stripe under the soft dorsal fading into blue on rear of tail base; lower belly and lower tail base blue; a black and blue spot on shoulder above the pectoral base; dorsal fin orange, with a blue edge and a large blackish blotch covering front 5-6 spines; tail pink with blue stripes; anal fin with pink and blue stripes.
Reaches 9.3 cm.
Lives on hard substrata of reefs.
Depth range: 2-50 m.
The Gulf of Mexico.
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
- Near Bottom
- Bottom + water column
- Habitat
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- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Reef only
- Water column
- Rocks
- Corals
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Planktivore
- Diet
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- Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Zooplankton
- Egg Type
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- Pelagic larva
- Pelagic
- Data
- Global Endemism
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- All species.
- West Atlantic Endemic
- Greater Caribbean endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- GC endemic
- Gulf of Mexico endemic
- All species..
- Continent
- Continent only
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
- Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
- IUCN Red List
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- Listed
- Endangered
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 9.3
- Depth Range Min
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- 2
- Depth Range Max
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- 50
