Puddingwife
Halichoeres radiatus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Description:
Terminal phase: Body blue to green, with a yellowish margin on the tail, a dark dot at the base of the pectoral fin and sometimes with a white midbody bar. Head with greenish blue scrawls.
Size up to 51 cm.
Initial phase: Young are yellowish green to bluish green with areas of yellow gold. Upper back with five white bars or dots and one or two black rectangular areas between the last bars.
Juvenile phase: Body with two yellow to gold horizontal stripes with a white stripe in between. Upper back with five white bars or dots and a navy to blue spot on the mid-back and dorsal fin.
Habitat:
Constantly swim over the reefs, down to 55 m.
Distribution:
Occasional Florida, Bahamas and Caribbean.