Mombasa Pencil Wrasse

This species is distinguished by the following characters: D IX,11; A III,12; pectoral rays 13; lateral-line scales 27 (+1 on tail); head scaleless; gill rakers 14; anteriorly in each jaw is a pair of large, projecting, and slightly recurved canine teeth, the upper pair slightly out-flaring, the lowers curving forward and fitting between uppers when mouth closed; on each side of upper and lower jaws, a short irregular row of 4-7 chisel-like incisiform teeth, no canine posteriorly at corner of mouth; body, body elongated, depth 4.2-4.9 in SL, only slightly compressed, body width 1.4-1.8 in depth; caudal fin truncate in initial phase, with slightly extended upper and lower lobes in terminal-phase male; colour of initial phase reddish orange to pink, often with more yellow tint anteriorly and grading to white ventrally on the head and abdomen; in life, terminal-phase male with rear half of body emerald green with two bright blue stripes, lower along lateral midline, upper along mid-upper body, dorsum above upper blue line olive green; upper head and anterior body olive green, becoming darker to black at mid-body; lower half of head and anterior body with prominent yellow reticulum over magenta background; magenta line extends forward below orbit along upper jaw and back across snout to end over the orbit; dorsal and anal fins with bluish base and edge surrounding midline thick yellow band; caudal fin blue-edged top and bottom with a short blue extension of the mid-lateral stripe onto the fin (Ref. 95804).

Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).

Dorsal spines (total): 9; Dorsal soft rays (total): 11; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 12

Depth range (5-20 m) given by B. Victor (pers. comm. 10/18).