Teleostei (teleosts) >
Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) >
Labridae (Wrasses) > Corinae
Etymology: Halichoeres: Greek, als, alis = salt + Greek, choiros = pig (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Bloch.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 1 - 15 m (Ref. 9710). Tropical; 37°N - 26°S, 100°W - 28°W
Western Atlantic: North Carolina, USA and Bermuda to Brazil (Ref. 7251).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 35.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 55367); max. published weight: 146.00 g (Ref. 9626)
Dorsal spines (total): 9; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 12. The dominant color markings are two dark stripes, one running from snout through eye to caudal base and the other, less pronounced, on lower side of body; a bicolored spot at edge of gill cover within upper dark stripe; large adult males green on back, shading to light greenish yellow on sides, the two stripes usually purplish; irregular light red bands on head and on caudal fin (Ref. 13442).
Commonly found in rocky and reef areas in shallow waters. Less common in seagrass beds. Feeds on other fishes (Ref. 5521) and gastropods (Ref. 9626). Forms leks during breeding (Ref. 55367). A protogynous hermaphrodite (Ref. 55367).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Diandric. Pelagic spawner (Ref. 32222). Sex reversal is completed in more than 3-4 weeks (Ref. 34185, 34257). Length at sex change = 30.2 cm TL (Ref. 55367).
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray, 1986. A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p. (Ref. 7251)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.4 - 28.2, mean 27.3 °C (based on 713 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00912 (0.00585 - 0.01423), b=3.07 (2.94 - 3.20), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this species & Genus-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.8 ±0.1 se; based on diet studies.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (25 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 49.8 [30.1, 82.1] mg/100g; Iron = 0.566 [0.328, 1.026] mg/100g; Protein = 18.8 [15.9, 21.0] %; Omega3 = 0.13 [0.09, 0.20] g/100g; Selenium = 23.2 [14.0, 42.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 115 [35, 409] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.3 [0.9, 2.0] mg/100g (wet weight);