Abstract
Here we describe Halichoeres rubrovirens, sp. n., endemic to Trindade and Martin Vaz Islands, off southeastern Brazil. The new species has unique color pattern, morphology and genetics. It can be easily distinguished from its Atlantic congeners by its color pattern consisting of a green body with two broad dotted reddish stripes. A preliminary mtDNA phylogeny indicates that H. rubrovirens closest relative is in the tropical Eastern Pacific. Hence, we hypothesize that H. rubrovirens once had a wide distribution in the western Atlantic but currently consists of a relict species restricted to Trindade and Martin Vaz islands. Little is know about its biology and ecology, but juveniles seem to school with and mimic Thalassoma noronhanum, which they resemble in color.
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