Rock Wrasse – Halichoeres Semicinctus (original) (raw)

The Rock Wrasse – Halichoeres semicinctus. In Mexico, this fish is known as Senorita Piedrera. Below is the female and male rock wrasses.

The wrasses are in the Labridae family, and many are colorful.

Rock wrasses are colorful fish with large scales and very small mouths.
Juvenile fish are green and turn more of a brown orange as they age.
Adults are green or green orange on their backs with a yellow belly.
The male and female species are very different. Look for the deep blue band just behind the pectoral fin.
They are a smaller fish, reaching only 15 inches, maturing at 2 years and about 6 inches. They grow slow after reaching maturity – a 10 year old rock wrasse will be about 8 inches in length.
They can live to be 14 years old.

These fish are found from Point Conception all the way to the Gulf of California, notably seen from Palos Verdes south.
They prefer to swim alone or in small schools.
They are diurnal meaning they are active during the day, and sleep at night.