The cleaning behaviour of juveniles of the Brazilian wrasse Halichoeres penrosei (Labridae) is described for the first time in the present paper. Diurnal free dive observations and photographs were taken in the shallow reefs of Porto da Barra. The cleaners' sizes varied from 3 to 7 cm, and clients' fish size varied from 8 to 20 cm. The wrasses cleaned for 2 to 30 seconds, the flanks were the most explored area of the clients' bodies. The cleaning activity we described was rare and opportunistic. Therefore, it is unlikely that H. penrosei is a specialized cleaner.
