Halichoeres garnoti
Yellowhead Wrasse
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Perciformes (Perciformes, Also Called the Acanthopteri)
Labridae (Wrasses)
Halichoeres
Halichoeres garnoti (Yellowhead Wrasse)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Moderately elongate, pointed snout, complete lateral line, anterior lateral line scales with more than a single pore, upper and lower body profiles nearly symmetrical, mouth with prominent downward-projecting flap from lower lip, upper jaw with single outward-directed canine near symphysis, row of smaller teeth, and small canine in corner, lower jaw with two pairs of forward-directed canines near symphysis and row of smaller teeth, preopercular membrane filamentous, gill membranes broadly joined and united with isthmus, gill rakers on first arch short and numbering 15 to 19, measurements (% SL): head length 29%–32%, snout length 8%–11%, eye diameter about 5%, upper jaw length 6%–9%, pectoral fin length 17%–20%, body depth 22%–30%, pectoral fin fanlike with 13 rays, dorsal fin with nine spines and 11 rays, anal fin with three spines and 12 rays, caudal fin slightly rounded, body and base of caudal fin covered with scales, head naked, lateral line strongly arched posteriorly with 27 pored scales
Adults yellow on anterior upper part of body, green on posterior upper part of body, and white ventrally, dark bar separates dorsal color patterns and is continuous with broad black stripe along base and posterior section of dorsal fin, two slender and irregular dark lines run diagonally upward from posterior margin of eye, small juveniles bright yellow with blue, dark-edged stripe, large juveniles yellowish brown dorsally and white ventrally
Distribution
Western Atlantic from east coast of Florida and Bermuda to Brazil, including eastern, northern, and southern Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Antilles
Habitat Associations
Shallow water to 50 m, associated with shallow coral and rocky reefs
Coral and rocky reefs
Biology
Invertebrates and ray-finned fishes
Maximum known size is 150 mm TL
Commonly found on shallow and deep reefs and exposed rocky ledges. Feeds on various invertebrates. Forms leks during breeding (Ref. 55367). A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367). Constantly on the move but easily attracted by divers. Generally of no interest to fisheries because of its small average size (Ref. 5217).
Reproductive mode: protogyny; fertilization: external; mating system: monogamy. Distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205). Monandric species (Ref. 55367). Length at sex change = 7.3 cm TL (Ref. 55367).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2008-04-12. Resilience: Medium (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941
Randall and Böhlke 1965
Böhlke and Chaplin 1968
Randall 1968a
Randall 1996
Bright and Cashman 1974
Sonnier et al. 1976
Hoese and Moore 1977
Hoese and Moore 1998
Robins and Ray 1986
Smith 1997
Smith-Vaniz et al. 1999
Westneat 2002a
Randall, J.E. (1967) Food habits of reef fishes of the West Indies. Stud. Trop. Oceanogr. Miami 5:665-847.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Cervigón, F. (1993) Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Volume 2. Fundación Científica Los Roques, Caracas,Venezuela. 497 p.
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Randall, J.E. (1996) Caribbean reef fishes. Third Edition - revised and enlarged. T.F.H. Publications, Inc. Ltd., Hong Kong. 3nd ed. 368 p.
García-Cagide, A., R. Claro and B.V. Koshelev (1994) Reproducción. p. 187-262. In R. Claro (ed.) Ecología de los peces marinos de Cuba. Inst. Oceanol. Acad. Cienc. Cuba. and Cen. Invest. Quintana Roo (CIQRO) México.
Smith, C.L. (1997) National Audubon Society field guide to tropical marine fishes of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, the Bahamas, and Bermuda. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 720 p.
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