Wrasse ID

Is this (the fish in the center) a pencil wrasse, or a juvenile of another wrasse??

Possibly. Hard to see it well. Or maybe a Disappearing Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus evanidus). Was it shot in Hawaii??

First, when looking for an ID, always post where the photo was taken. Though I don't know if it would help me that much in this case.

The mouth reminds me of that of a cleaner wrasse but I did not find any pictures that matched your fish very closely. The closest I found was Labroides rubrolabiatus but it is a bit of a stretch. Hopefully someone else will recognize it.

Sorry, I forgot the all important location: Kona, Hawaii

I think its an oddly colored Saddled Wrasse (Thalassoma duperrey) in transitional phase. It is endemic to Hawaii.

I think its an oddly colored Saddled Wrasse (Thalassoma duperrey) in transitional phase. It is endemic to Hawaii.

I am thinking you are right, what is throwing me however is the total lack of a mid-body white or light stripe and the mouth shape does not look quite the same, at least in the resources I have, "Hawaiis Fishes by John P. Hoover, "Reef Fish Identification, Tropical pacific" by Allen, Steene, Humann & Deloach and this website: http://www.marinelifephotography.com/default.htm by Keoki & Yuko Stedner

darn, I really want to know, the wrasses are tough to nail down sometimes.

Look at the pictures here:

http://www.fishbase.org/photos/thumbnailssummary.php?ID=7770

The juvenile above looks very similar to the one in your photo...

I'm convinced,

So far the juvenile saddle wrasse is the closest match. The way the mouth looks is probably just due to the angle of the shot.

Thanks