Later, as an adult male, the head and front part of the body are yellow, the hind half of the body is silvery grey and a vertical black blue bar and a broad black blue stripe occur along the border of the dorsal fin.

The yellowhead wrasse is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico south to the north coast of Venezuela.

[3][4] The yellowhead wrasse is common on coral and sandy reefs and among rocks at depths down to about 60 m (200 ft).

[5][6] The yellowhead wrasse is a predator that feeds mainly on small invertebrates such as crustaceans, molluscs, worms and echinoderms captured on the substrate or in the sand.

A daily migration from feeding grounds to spawning sites occurs, and large males tend to monopolize mates.