Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Underwater photographs taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photographs courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, March 2018. Photograph courtesy of Maude Jette, Dive Zihuantanejo,   www.Divezihuantanejo.com.

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, Initial Phase (IP), Female.  Fish caught off the beach at Cabo Real, Baja California Sur, November 2019. Length: 17 cm (6.7 inches).

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught from the beach in Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, January 2018. Length: 21 cm (8.4 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Brad Murakami, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught from coastal waters Cabo del Sol, Baja California Sur, November 2008. Length: 22 cm (8.7 inches).

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught via spearfishing in coastal waters off Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, June 2021. Length: 25 cm (10 inches). Catch courtesy of Mauricio Correa, Los Cabos, Baja California Sur.

Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught from shore off Los Barriles, Baja California Sur, January 2020. Length: 29 cm (11 inches). Catch courtesy of Bob Marquis, Catalina Island, California. Photography and identification courtesy of Brad Murakami, Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

The Peacock Razorfish, Iniistius pavo, is a member of the Wrasse or Labridae Family, and is known in Mexico as cuchillo cavo real. Globally, there are fifteen species in the genus Iniistius, one of which, this species, is found in Mexican waters, this one from of the Pacific Ocean. Their common name razorfish stems from their compressed bodies that have a sharp leading edge on their forehead and snout that allows quick entry into the sand.

The Peacock Razorfish have strongly compressed heads and bodies with a depth that is 36% to 40% of standard length. Females and males of the Initial Phase (IP) have a white to yellowish-white coloration with four indistinct broad dark vertical bars on their body. Terminal Phase (TP) males are similar in appearance with blue margins on the lower edge of the first bar and the lower two-thirds of the second bar. Their anal fin is light brown with a blue submarginal stripe; their caudal is dusky brown; their dorsal fins are lighter brown with thin oblique blue bars and a blue submarginal stripe; their pectoral fins are dusky brown; and, their pelvic fins are transparent. They have a small black spot high on their body over the middle of their pectoral fin. Juveniles are similar in appearance to females except that they have brown lines radiating from their eyes and their pelvic fins are brown. They have a very steep nearly vertical head profile with a fleshy longitudinal keel at the front. Their small eyes are set very high on the head and they have a pair of long curved canine teeth anteriorly on each jaw. Their anal fin has 3 spines and 12 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their dorsal fin has 2 prolonged spines, which diminish in length with maturity, 7 normal spines, and 12 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 12 rays. They are covered with scales.

The Peacock Razorfish are found on open sand near reefs and will quickly bury themselves in sand as a defense mechanism. They reach a maximum of 41 cm (16 inches) in length. As of January 1, 2024, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 0.91 kg (2 lbs 0 oz) with the fish caught in coastal waters off Oahu, Hawaii in June 2013. The juveniles are found at depths between 2 m (7 feet) and the adults up to 100 m (330 feet). They are diurnal and opportunistic feeders, benefiting from disturbances caused by the feeding of other fish. The Peacock Razorfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Peacock Razorfish are found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean with the exception that they are absent from Cedros Island, Baja California, northward along the central and northwest coasts of Baja and in the extreme northern portions of the Sea of Cortez. They are widely distributed throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The Peacock Razorfish is an easy fish to identify due to its unique elongated first two dorsal spines that are separated from the rest of the fin and its flat rectangular body, thus it cannot be confused with any other species.

From a conservation perspective the Peacock Razorfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are too rare and too small to be of interest to most.