California Sheephead
Semicossyphus pulcher
(1: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 2: Starlight, Santa Catalina Island / 3-4: Black Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 5: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 6: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 7: Sutil Island, Santa Barbara Island / 8: Indian Rock, Santa Catalina Island)
At night, they get a mottled appearance: (1-2: Sea Landing Cove, Santa Barbara Island)
Sheephead all start female. When they're the biggest one in the area, they change to male, develop a stronger forehead, and get darker on both ends: (1: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 2: Coral Gardens, San Clemente Island / 3-4: Arch Point, Santa Barbara Island / 5: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 6: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Juveniles look nothing like the adults:
(1-3,5-7: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 4: Starlight, Santa Catalina Island)
Rock WrasseHalichoeres semicinctus
(1: Black Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 2-3: Starlight, Santa Catalina Island / 4: Seal Cove, San Clemente Island / 5: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 6: Goat Harbor, Santa Catalina Island / 7: Hen Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 8: Indian Rock, Santa Catalina Island)
Initial phase rock wrasse have black speckles down the side. Final phase have a black bar.
This is a juvenile: (1: Starlight, Santa Catalina Island)
Señorita
Oxyjulis californica
(1: Black Rock, Santa Catalina Island / 2-3: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 4,7: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 5-6: Golf Ball Drop Off, Santa Cruz Island)
Usually yellow-orange, but occasionally mottled: (1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)
Señorita will clean parasites off of other fish. These are cleaning blacksmiths: (1-2: Ship Rock, Santa Catalina Island)
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