Xyrichtys

Xyrichtys is a genus of wrasses native to the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, where they are found in sandy-bottomed habitats. They are commonly known as razorfishes, as they are very laterally compressed with a sharp bony ridge at the front of their heads. This adaptation allows them to burrow very quickly into the sand at any sign of danger.

Xyrichtys
Rosy razorfish (X. martinicensis)
Pearly razorfish (X. novacula)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Labriformes
Family: Labridae
Genus: Xyrichtys
G. Cuvier, 1814
Type species
Coryphaena novacula
Linnaeus, 1758
Synonyms
  • Hemipteronotus Lacépède, 1801 (officially ruled to not be available)
  • Novacula G. Cuvier, 1815
  • Amorphocephalus S. Bowdich, 1825
  • Xyrula D. S. Jordan, 1890

Species

The 11 currently recognized species in this genus are:[1]

  • Xyrichtys blanchardi (Cadenat & Marchal, 1963) (marmalade razorfish)
  • Xyrichtys incandescens A. J. Edwards & Lubbock, 1981
  • Xyrichtys javanicus (Bleeker, 1862) Java razorfish
  • Xyrichtys martinicensis Valenciennes, 1840 (rosy razorfish)
  • Xyrichtys mundiceps T. N. Gill, 1862 (Cape razorfish)
  • Xyrichtys novacula (Linnaeus, 1758) (pearly razorfish)
  • Xyrichtys rajagopalani Venkataramanujam, Venkataramani & Ramanathan, 1987
  • Xyrichtys sanctaehelenae (Günther, 1868) (yellow razorfish)
  • Xyrichtys splendens Castelnau, 1855 (green razorfish)
  • Xyrichtys victori Wellington, 1992 (Galapagos razorfish)
  • Xyrichtys wellingtoni G. R. Allen & D. R. Robertson, 1995
  • X. splendens
  • X. splendens illustration

References
  1. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2013). Species of Xyrichtys in FishBase. October 2013 version.


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