Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Perciformes
(Perch-likes) > Labridae
(Wrasses) > Xyrichtyinae
Etymology: Xyrichtys: Greek, xyreo = that cuts like a knife + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335).
Environment / Climate / Range
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 3 - 15 m (Ref. 9710). Subtropical; 32°N - 33°S
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 17.5 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 9626)
Adults have a vertically elongate blue spot on each scale, the head has alternating vertical lines of pale blue and brownish orange, but these are broader than on X. novacula; adult males are more green in overall color and have a blue-edged inky black spot on midside of body within a pale region of pink or yellow (Ref. 13442).
Western Atlantic: Bermuda and southern Florida (USA) to Brazil; throughout the Caribbean Sea.
Most common in shallow, sandy areas in and around seagrass beds. Prefers clear waters (Ref. 9626). Generally of no interest to fisheries because of its small average size (Ref. 5217).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
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. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 96402)
CITES (Ref. 94142)
Threat to humans
Common namesSynonymsMetabolismPredatorsEcotoxicologyReproductionMaturitySpawningFecundityEggsEgg development
ReferencesAquacultureAquaculture profileStrainsGeneticsAllele frequenciesHeritabilityDiseasesProcessingMass conversion
Estimates of some properties based on models
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82805
= 0.5005 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Trophic Level (Ref. 69278
): 3.2 ±0.1 se; Based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref. 69278
): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Vulnerability (Ref. 59153
): Low vulnerability (10 of 100) .