Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti

Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti, Initial Phase (IP), Female.  Fish caught from coastal waters off Caye Ambergris, Belize, June 2013. Length: 7.2 cm (2.8 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.wordpress.com).

Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Fish caught from coastal waters off Key West, Florida, June 2015. Length: 7.2 cm (2.8 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Dean Kimberly, Atlanta, Georgia.

Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti, Initial phase (IP), Female, Transitioning To A Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught in coastal waters off Key Largo, Florida, December 2013. Length: 13.8 cm (5.4 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Ben Cantrell, Peoria, Illinois.

Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught from coastal waters off Islamorada, Florida, July 2022. Length: 10.3 cm (3.9 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Luke Ovgard, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti, Terminal Phase (TP), Male. Fish caught from coastal waters off Caye Caulker, Belize, June 2013. Length: 18.0 cm (7.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Eli (obsessiveangling.word-press.com).

Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti, Initial Phase (IP), Female. Underwater photograph taken in coastal waters off Bonaire, December 2019. Photograph courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Yellowhead Wrasse, Halichoeres garnoti, is a member of the Wrasse or Labridae Family, that is also known as the Neon Wrasse and in Mexico as doncella cabeciamarilla. Globally, there are seventy species in the genus Halichoeres, of which nineteen are found in Mexican waters, ten in the Atlantic and nine in the Pacific Ocean.

The Yellowhead Wrasse has an elongated compressed body with a depth that is 24% to 28% of standard length. Juveniles are yellow to brown with a dark-edged blue stripe that runs from their eyes to the end of their caudal fin base. Females (Initial Phase) are brown on top of their head with this color extending to the mid-dorsal fin followed by yellow and then transitioning to white ventrally; they have a fairly wide bar mid-length that extends from their dorsal fin to mid-body. Males (Terminal Phase) are yellow on top of their head with this color extending to the mid-dorsal fin and have a thick black bar mid-body that joins a broad black stripe; they are white ventrally and have gray caudal fins. They have small beady eyes and a protrusible mouth with thick lips that opens to three pairs of canine teeth at the front (one on top and two on the bottom). Their anal fin has 3 spines and 12 rays; their caudal fin is rounded; their dorsal fin has 9 spines and 9 to 11 rays; and, their pectoral fins have 13 rays. They have 16 to 19 gill rakers. They are covered with scales. Their lateral line is continuous and abruptly bent down under the dorsal fin.

The Yellowhead Wrasse is a coastal residents found both in and around shallow and deep water reefs and exposed rock ledges at depths up to 90 m (300 feet). They reach a maximum of 30 cm (12 inches) in length. They are constantly on the move and easily attracted by divers. They feed diurnally on small crustaceans, sea urchins, mollusks, and brittle stars. They feed and spawn in different locations. They are protogynous hermaphrodites with females being able to transform into fully functional males at mid-life. This transition occurs when the fish reach about 7.3 cm (2.9 inches) in length. Males are highly territorial and maintain harems that consist of several females with fertilization occurring externally and pelagic eggs developing rapidly. The Yellowhead Wrasse  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 Yellowhead Wrasse is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean but their populations are diminished in the western Gulf of Mexico.

The Yellowhead Wrasse is a fairly easy fish to identify due to its coloration and black bar mid-back. It is fairly similar in body structure to the Yellowcheek Wrasse, Halichoeres cyanocephalus (lacks black bar mid-back).

From a conservation perspective the Yellowhead Wrasse is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are too small in stature to be of interest to most and are normally a “catch-and-release”. They are utilized in the aquarium trade and can be purchased via the internet.