Juveniles often aggregate in small groups near crevices while adults roam just above the reef during the day in schools as large as several hundred individuals. It is silvery white with a yellow bronze head above and has a series of distinctive dark blue stripes margined with bronze on the head and anterior portion of the body. Massachusetts to Brazil. Individuals, pairs and small schools are occasionally observed near rocky outcrops at Gray's Reef probing the sand for food with their long chin barbels. Nova Scotia to Central America.
Most wrasses swim using the pectoral fins, dragging the tail behind.
Ubiquitous at Gray's Reef. North Carolina to Brazil. Occasionally seen near reefs over coarse sandy bottoms, this wrasse dives into the sand when threatened. North Carolina to Brazil. Large adults are occasionally seen close to rocky outcrops at Gray's Reef which is roughly the southernmost limit of this northern wrasse.