Fish identification archive / Rosy Razorfish

Rosy Razorfish

Xyrichtys martinicensis

Fun facts for your next surface interval

Juveniles have a brown eye-to-tail stripe. [source]
Females have rounded tails; males have straight tail edges. [source]
Grinding tooth plates occur in the throat. [source]

Florida and local context

Xyrichtys martinicensis is a species-level row in the Blue Heron Bridge (WPB), Phil Foster Park report.

A documented past record does not establish present abundance or guarantee an encounter.

Sources: REEF: named-site cumulative survey supplied with reservation

How to recognize this animal

A compressed wrasse with a rounded forehead. Initial-phase fish have a dark cheek patch; terminal-phase fish are blue-green with gold-and-blue cheeks.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Size and life stages

Smithsonian reports a maximum of 15 cm. This is a source-specific upper length, not a typical local sighting size.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Habitat and where to look

Sand and seagrass bottom; listed at 5–40 m.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Range and local context

Bermuda through the southern Caribbean, also Brazil. Local inclusion rests on the supplied named-site survey, not this broad range.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish; REEF: named-site cumulative survey supplied with reservation

What is on the menu?

Listed prey include plankton, crustaceans, mollusks and worms.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Daily habits and behavior

A bottom-associated fish with strongly differing juvenile and adult color patterns. Local daily behavior was not verified.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Mating and the next generation

The database lists pelagic eggs and larvae. Sex-change timing and local spawning season were not verified.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Look-alikes and identification traps

Other razorfishes overlap in appearance. Use head profile, cheek pattern and tail shape together, allowing for life stage.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Observe without disturbing

Keep a respectful distance, maintain buoyancy and avoid touching, feeding or repositioning the animal. These are editorial observation recommendations, not a harvest assessment.

Sources: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Rosy Razorfish

Harvest, protection and eating safety

Live-only collection; closed sites override

Verified listed-group live collection, not recreational food harvest and not a blanket protected-species designation.

This color is a qualified summary, not permission to collect or a guarantee that a particular animal is safe to eat.

Can it be hunted or harvested?

Labridae: not the excluded hogfish; no separate size limit established for this species. Where lawful, land and maintain alive with adequate life support; five per species within 20 organisms daily, and ten within 40 in two-day possession. License requirements apply; recreational sale is prohibited.

Florida seasons and areas

No affirmative year-round season clearance is assigned. State marine-life requirements also apply in federal waters. Check the mapped site before any take. Blue Heron Bridge closes listed marine-life collection, not all county fishing. Biscayne prohibits ornamental collection without a superintendent permit and has a mapped March 1–May 31 fishing/possession closure effective in 2026, with a stowed continuous-transit exception. Pennekamp disallows tropical-fish collection and spearfishing. Key Largo Management Area prohibits tropical-fish take, marine-invertebrate take except specified lobster/stone-crab activities, and spearfishing. Sanctuary Preservation Areas prohibit fishing/collection except expressly stated exceptions. These are site rules, not whole-corridor bans.

Can it be speared?

Do not spear a live-only collection species. FWC allows specified nonlethal methods; no quinaldine. FWC restricts spearfishing near public swimming beaches, fishing piers/bridges, jetties and in state parks. The Long Key-north Monroe restriction concerns state waters; Key Largo Management Area has a separate prohibition. Federal location alone is not clearance.

Is it safe to eat?

Live-only collection is not recreational food harvest. No food-safety clearance, recipe or meal frequency is established. Consult current Florida Health guidance for the animal, capture site and consumer. A legal allowance does not establish that a catch is safe to eat. No dated species-matched local menu evidence was verified.

Labridae: not the excluded hogfish; no separate size limit established for this species.

This review covers the Vero Beach–Key Largo Atlantic corridor: Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. Florida Atlantic state waters and South Atlantic federal waters are distinct jurisdictions. Do not extend a state-water season tag to federal waters or transfer Atlantic rules to Gulf-side Keys waters. Park and sanctuary boundaries can override a species allowance.

Before you act: Confirm the species, date, exact management area, state or federal waters, gear, licenses and current local closures. A local occurrence record never grants permission to take an animal.

Official rules and health guidance

Reviewed 2026-11-11. Rules and advisories can change; check the linked authorities before acting.

Identification and source cautions

Historical cumulative citizen-science occurrence is not an independently reidentified voucher or a current encounter probability.
Regional habitat, depth and range do not prove occurrence at every corridor site.
Maximum length is source-specific, not a typical encounter size.
Detailed local spawning and activity schedules were not verified.

Sources and review

Biology and taxonomy reviewed 2026-11-11. Photographs on cited sites are reference material and are not reproduced here.

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