LABRIDAE Halichoeres chloropterus, 11.6 cm SL (photo by Ukkrit Satapoomin) Halichoeres chloropterus, 9.4 cm SL (from North Sulawesi, Indonesia; photo by Seishi Kimura) Halichoeres chloropterus (Bloch, 1791) Pastel-green Wrasse D IX, 10-11; A III, 10-11; P1 13-15; LLp 27; GR 17-20. Body moderately deep. Dorsal profile of head only slightly convex. Mouth terminal, small; a single pair of prominent canines situated anteriorly in each jaw, second pair of teeth moderately enlarged and recurved; a large curved canine present on each side at rear of upper jaw. Dorsal fin origin above posterior tip of opercular margin. Lateral line complete. Small patches of scales present high on opercle, behind eye, and high on cheek. Caudal fin slightly rounded. Color: initial phase pale green on dorsal surface, shading to white ventrally, with a black dot on each scale of back and side; a narrow black bar at pectoral-fin base. Terminal phase pastel green with a faint pink spot in center of each scale in middle and posterior of body; anteriorly the pink spots coalesce to form an irregular network of lines; head with irregular bands of green and lavender-pink; males often with a large dark-colored area on upper side beneath juncture of spinous and soft parts of dorsal fin. Size: maximum total length about 19 cm. Distribution: Indo-Malayan region, north to the Philippines, south to Great Barrier Reef, and west to the Andaman Sea. Remarks: found mostly on coral reefs and surrounding sandy areas at depths of 1 to at least 10 m. Feeds on hard-shelled prey, including molluscs, crustaceans and sea urchins.