Yellowhead wrasse
(Halichoeres garnoti)

The yellowhead wrasse is a small sized fish that can reach a maximum length of 19 cm. Both its sex and appearance change during its life and the colouring at each stage is rather variable. The body is thin, relatively lengthened and its mouth is terminal. As a juvenile, it is mainly yellow with a lateral, bright-blue stripe.

In its initial phase, while it is female, it has a dark-colored back, sometimes with bluish shadings, and a yellow underside. Two short wavy dark lines radiate from the hind edge of each eye with dark spots on its front head.

Later, as an adult male, the head and front part of the body are yellow, the hind half of the body is silvery grey and a vertical black blue bar and a broad black blue stripe occur along the border of the dorsal fin. From this dark blue line, three longitudinal lines of gradient colors are visible, they are successively green, blue (this latter continues throughout the ventral part of the fish) then pink to mauve color. It still has the characteristic dark, wavy lines near the eye with the black spots.

The yellowhead wrasse is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico south to the north coast of Venezuela.

The yellowhead wrasse is common on coral and sandy reefs and among rocks at depths down to about 60 m (200 ft). It likes places with many small cavities where it can hide in case of danger.