Description

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 11. Juveniles and females with wide black stripe through eye to base of tail, bordered above by prominent pinkish-brown line; white scales with orange spots on lower half of the body . Adult males primarily green with scales bordered by pink and a black spot on anterior part of the dorsal fin. Narrow (<0.5 mm width) orange stripes on lower half of head, from mouth to gill opening. One pair of enlarged canine teeth anteriorly in the lower jaw (Ref. 52607).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Eupercaria/misc

Family: Labridae

Genus: Halichoeres

Species: Halichoeres penrosei Starks, 1913

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Common in coral and rocky reef tops to depths of 30 meters and often solitary or in pairs (Ref. 52607). Photo of individual from Brazil (Toque-Toque Beach, municipality of São Sebastião, state of São Paulo), 10.5 cm TL in length (T. Vaske, Jr. pers.comm. 2011).

Habitat

associated