Color: different shades of orange, brown, or pink-yellow
Unique features: black spot on caudal fin, 13 anal soft-rays on one of the fins, cigar-shaped, large scales
Where They Live:
Range: found from Salt Point, CA, to south central Baja California
Habitat: reefs or algae
How They Act:
Diet: small ones eat plankton, copecods, ostracods, etc. larger pick food off of algae like hydroids, bryzoans, amphibods. They also eat parasitic copecods and isocods from skins of other fishes.
Reproduction: spawning occurs from April-October, the eggs are pelagic and young of the year appear inshore waters from June-November.
Fun Facts:
Senoritas live to be about seven years old. They school loosely and are notorious bait stealers. They are cleaners, picking external parasites and other dead tissues from fishes bodies. Lots of fishes are cleaned by this species. They are not full time cleaners. They only clean when they feel like it. When the Senorita starts cleaning it causes a commotion. Lets say the Senorita starts picking at a Blacksmith, just casually. The Blacksmith stops and lets the fish clean it. It usually has its head down and lets its body drift. The other fish see this and all want to be cleaned too. The Senorita checks them until she loses interest and swims away. This is very soon and these fish are very disappointed.
The Senoritas travel in groups, pairs, or individuals. They are active during the day and sleep at night. Their bedtime routine is sort of neat. About 15 min. after sunset, the fish, almost faster than you can see, barrel headfirst into the bottom, burying themselves for the night, with only their head sticking out. Some Senoritas may also develop a mucous net around themselves. About 15 min. before sunrise they shake themselves loose, comb the sand from their gill slits, and head out for another day.
