Meet the Mardi Gras Wrasse - It's Party Time!

The description of a species of coral reef wrasse that is new to science has been published in the December 2007 issue of the journal Copeia. The article, written by former Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) research specialist Doug Weaver and co-author Luis Rocha is titled: "A new species of Halichoeres (Teleostei: Labridae) from the western Gulf of Mexico" (Copeia 2007(4): 798-807). This species was nicknamed the "Mardi Gras wrasse" by sanctuary staff due to the bright purple, yellow and green coloration of the terminal male phase. As is typical of wrasses, the juvenile and non-terminal phases of this species are a completely different color. In this case, they are red with a white stripe running from nose to tail.