Fish of the Xyrichtys genus of the Labridae (wrasses) family of the Labroidei suborder of the Perciformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Pearly razorfish. Photo © tokaiki.net)
Pearly razorfish (Xyrichtys novacula) was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778).
It inhabits the depth of 1-90 meters. It prefers to swim close to a sandy bottom close to algae thickets. The maximum recorded length is 38 cm; specimens up to 20 cm long are more common. It feeds on mollusks, crabs and shrimps.
(Pearly razorfish. Photo by © Kevin Bryant. flickr.com/photos/mentalblock)
It is a permanent rare inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of pearly razorfish (Xyrichtys novacula) in other languages as follows:
Peshku perlë (Albanian), Κατσούλα (Katsúlja) (Greek), Lehavit (Hebrew), Rao (Spanish), Pesce pettine (Italian), Schermesserfisch (German), Wargacz tępogłowy, Brzytwiak atlantycki (Polish), Mordedor (Portuguese), Остролоб–новакула (Ostrolob–novakula) (Russian), Šarko crveni (Serbian, Croatian), Papağan balığı (Turkish), Donzelle lame (French).