[3] The blackear wrasse has a relatively long, thin body, a large eye, and a pointed snout with a terminal mouth which has protruding canine-like teeth.

It has wide pink bands and a narrow blue stripe on the head and tail and there is a dark spot behind the eye which gives it the common name blackear wrasse.

Halichoeres poeyi occurs in coral and rocky reefs and also in seagrass, especially turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum) beds at around 30 m (100 ft) in depth.

H. poeyi is the only species of Halichoeres where the larvae develop internal, specialised, chromatophores.

The specific name honours the Cuban ichthyologist Felipe Poey (1799–1891), who described a similar species, Halichoeres pictus, in 1860.