Green Razorfish, Xyrichthys splendens
Green Razorfish, Xyrichthys splendens, Initial Phase (IP) Female. Fish caught from within the Phil Foster Park, Riviera Beach, Florida, June 2023. Length: 7.9 cm (3.1 inches). Catch, photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.
Green Razorfish, Xyrichthys splendens, Terminal Phase (TP) Male. Fish caught from within the Phil Foster Park, Riviera Beach, Florida, June 2023. Length: 17 cm (6.7 inches). Catch courtesy of Brayden Moore, Peoria, Arizona. Photograph and identification courtesy of Chris Moore, Peoria, Arizona.
The Green Razorfish, Xyrichtys splendens, is a member of the Wrasse or Labridae Family, that is known in Mexico as cuchillo de luna. Globally, there are twenty-seven species in the genus Xyrichtys, of which four are found in Mexican waters, three in the Atlantic and one in the Pacific Ocean. Their common name razorfish stems from their compressed bodies that have a sharp leading edge on their forehead and snout that allows quick entry into the sand.
The Green Razorfish, are small in stature with an oblong strongly compressed slender body that is uniform in height for their entire length with an elongated rounded head profile with a bluntly pointed snout with a fleshy longitudinal keel at the front. The juveniles are a mottled yellowish brown with dark brown fins and three brown bars on the body that extend onto the anal and dorsal fins. The Initial Phase (IP) Females are pinkish gray, their scales have dark profiles and their lower head has fine blue-white bars and their eye has a red iris. The Terminal Phase (TP) Males have a steeper head profile and deeper bodies that then females and are greenish with an elongated blue spot on each scale, a bluish tinted head with four or five orange bars on the cheek, a bright red iris, one or two black, blue-ringed spots mid-flank and bluish tinted anal fins, an orange tinted caudal fin, and a reddish tinted dorsal fin. Their head has small eyes, a protrusible mouth with thick lips that opens in the front and is equipped with a large pair of canine teeth at the front. Their anal fin as 3 spines and 13 rays; their caudal fin is slightly rounded; their first dorsal fin has 9 spines and their second dorsal fin has 12 rays; and, their pelvic fins are pointed with long filaments. They have 18 to 21 gill rakers. Their lateral line is broken into two sections.
The Green Razorfish are found in seagrass meadows or sandy flats, in areas of soft sand or near gorgonians or coral heads at depths up to 15 m (50 feet) with water temperatures between 24°C (75°F) and-28°C (82°F). They reach a maximum of 17.5 cm (6.9 inches) in length. They feed on shrimps, small fish, mollusks, planktonic copepods, and benthic prey including amphipods, clams, and snails. In turn they are preyed upon by barracudas, groupers, snappers, and tuna. They are protogynous sequential hermaphroditism that undergo a sex-change from female to male that reproduce in harems of multiple females and one male. Their eggs are pelagic and their larvae are planktonic. They utilize camouflage for protection having the ability to mimic a seagrass blade and they also have the ability dive into the sand to avoid predation. The Green Razorfish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.
The Green Razorfish is a resident of all Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean including the Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Caribbean.
The Green Razorfish is similar to and can be confused with the Pearly Razorfish, Xyrichtys novacula (steep head profile) and the Rosy Razorfish, Xyrichtys martinicensis (IP: tan, head white with a gray bar; TP: yellow pelvic fins, black pectoral fin base).
From a conservation perspective the Green Razorfish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. They are too small in stature to be of interest to most, however they are popular with the aquarium trade being very colorful and easy to maintain. They are known to disappear for extended periods of time by burying themselves in the sand substrate.