Cigar wrasse

It looks a lot like seaweed.

Scientific name	Cheilio inermis
English name	Cigar wrasse
Japanese name	魣倍良
Classification	Actinopterygii
Classification details	Perciformes Labridae
Full length	35-50cm
Distribution	Distributed in the Pacific Ocean.

Characteristics

A saltwater fish of the wrasse family named for its elongated shape that closely resembles barracuda.

Body color varies, but ranges from green to brown. Juveniles are green. The individual I photographed had a color similar to that of seaweed and was not that long, so it may not have been completely controlled.

Stripes run vertically.

Ecology

It mainly inhabited seaweed beds on sandy bottoms, and poked sand and seaweed while swimming hidden in seaweed. It swims rather slowly.

Habitat

Niijima Maehama

I found it swimming near the sandy seabed at a depth of about 3-4m. The color was very similar to that of seaweed, and it was rare, so I dived close to it to photograph it. It swam relatively slowly and seemed to be hiding in the seaweed clumps.