| Main Ref. | Smith, C.L., 1997 |
| Appearance refers to | |
| Bones in OsteoBase |
| Specialized organs | |
| Different appearance | |
| Different colors | |
| Remarks |
| Striking features | |
| Body shape lateral | fusiform / normal |
| Cross section | |
| Dorsal head profile | |
| Type of eyes | |
| Type of mouth/snout | |
| Position of mouth | |
| Type of scales | |
| Diagnosis |
Juveniles yellow with silvery blue stripe along side. Super males (terminal males), have black vertical bar behind tip of pectoral fin, merging with broad black area on upper side, continuing to top of caudal peduncle and upper caudal fin. One of the easiest wrasses to identify at all its stages (Ref. 26938). |
| Ease of Identification |
| Lateral Lines | Interrupted: No |
| Scales on lateral line | |
| Pored lateral line scales | |
| Scales in lateral series | |
| Scale rows above lateral line | |
| Scale rows below lateral line | |
| Scales around caudal peduncle | |
| Barbels | |
| Gill clefts (sharks/rays only) | |
| Gill rakers | |
| on lower limb | |
| on upper limb | |
| total | 15 - 19 |
| Vertebrae | |
| preanal | |
| total |
| Attributes | |
| Fins number | |
| Finlets No. | Dorsal |
| Ventral | |
| Spines total | 9 - 9 |
| Soft-rays total | 11 - 11 |
| Adipose fin |
| Attributes | more or less truncate; more or less normal |
| Fins number | |
| Spines total | 3 - 3 |
| Soft-rays total | 12 - 12 |
| Pectoral | Attributes more or less normal |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays | |
| Pelvics | Attributes more or less normal |
| Position | |
| Spines | |
| Soft-rays |