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Teleostei (teleosts) > Eupercaria/misc (Various families in series Eupercaria) > Labridae (Wrasses) > Xyrichtyinae
Etymology: Novaculops:Latin, novacula = razor + Greek, ops = appearance (Ref. 45335); alvheimi:Named for Oddgeir B. Alvheim of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway, who recognized the two type specimens from the trawl hauls of the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen as a probable new species and took a color photograph of each. Eponymy: Oddgeir Berg Alvheim (d: 1944) of the Institute of Marine Research in Norway. [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range ? - 60 m (Ref. 93522). Tropical
Maturity: Lm? range ? - ? cm Max length : 9.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 93522); 8.3 cm SL (female)
Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsalspines (total): 9; Dorsalsoft rays (total): 12; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 12; Vertebrae: 24. This species is distinguished by the following characters: D IX,12, first spine flexible, remaining spines firm and sharp-tipped, the space between first two dorsal spines half space between second and third spines; A III,12; pectoral rays 12; head no scales; no median predorsal scales; scales on side of nape extending to above free dorsal end of preopercular margin; gill rakers 18-21; lateral-line scales 20 + 5; body depth 3.2 in SL; dorsal profile of snout evenly convex; suborbital depth short, less than eye diameter, 5.3-5.45 in head length (HL); caudal fin slightly rounded and short, 1.35-1.4 in HL; pelvic fins nearly or just reaching anus, 1.4 in HL. Preserved color of body in alcohol light yellowish brown; fins pale yellowish; a large black spot in axil of pectoral fins; a blackish spot on each membrane of spinous portion of dorsal fin, darker in male; color of body of male when fresh with a series of indistinct longitudinal bands: orangish brown below base of dorsal fin, blue in a zone along lateral line, the lateral-line pores white (progressively fainter posteriorly), light blue suffused with yellow in a broad zone along midside, and blue and white ventrally; snout and nape orangish gray with an oblique deep orange band behind eye; rest of head yellowish white; iris bright red; spinous dorsal fin blue with a deep blue spot ventrally on each membrane; remaining median and pelvic fins light orange; pectoral fins pale yellow with a bluish black spot in axil. Color of body of female purplish pink with 2 broad white longitudinal bands on lower side, narrowing posteriorly, and ending before caudal peduncle; ten close-set, oblique, white lines crossing abdomen from pectoral region of lower white band; a broad, oblique, dark purplish red zone from nape to upper operculum; a large black spot in axil of pectoral fins; fins pale yellowish to orangish (Ref. 93522).
Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Oviparous, distinct pairing during breeding (Ref. 205).
Randall, J.E., 2013. Seven new species of labrid fishes (Coris, Iniistius, Macropharyngodon, Novaculops, and Pteragogus) from the Western Indian Ocean. J. Ocean Sci. Found. 7:1-43. (Ref. 93522)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD50 = 0.5156 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01047 (0.00408 - 0.02689), b=3.06 (2.84 - 3.28), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).
Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.3 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref. 120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
![Image of Novaculops alvheimi (St. Brandon\](/images/thumbnails/jpg/tn_Noalv_m0.jpg "Image of Novaculops alvheimi (St. Brandon\")
![Image of Novaculops alvheimi (St. Brandon\](/images/thumbnails/jpg/tn_Noalv_f0.jpg "Image of Novaculops alvheimi (St. Brandon\")