Genus: Clepticus, Creole Wrasse, Wrasse
elongate oval, v concave tail
D XII
no rear canines
front canines small, weak
front canines small, weak
LL complete, smoothly arched, 32
CLEPTICUS
WRASSE
Body an elongate oval; snout rounded; mouth small and oblique, highly protrusible; rear of top jawbone not visible on cheek; toothed grinding plates in throat; no canine tooth at rear of top jaw, small weak canines at front of both jaws; edge of preopercle serrated; gill membranes fused under throat; dorsal fin XII spines, none filamentous, not obviously notched between spiny and soft parts; anal fin III, 12; tail deeply concave; lateral line unbroken, smoothly arched; scales large, 32 with pores on lateral line.
An Atlantic genus with 3 species; one endemic in the Greater Caribbean.
Note: Recent analyses of the phylogeny of wrasses indicate that Clepticus is actually part of the genus Bodianus
