Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

eatbreakfast · Apr 2, 2015

My initial thought was rubripinnis, so much so that I didnt even click on the pic to look closer, then this afternoon someone brought it to my attention again. Looking at the pattern on the back half of the dorsal, it is the same pattern found on tonozukai. The blue on the underside, I dont think matters much, as males of the complex have been shown to have blue to varying degrees, although this is certainly on the heavy side. It lacks the elongated middle dorsal filaments of tonozukai, but there could be a number of reasons for that, and even though I personally identify myself as a seperator of species, I dont feel there are enough differences for cf. tonozukai to be seperated from "true" tonozukai. As of now I am saying C. tonozukai.

evolved · Apr 2, 2015

eatbreakfast said:
My initial thought was rubripinnis, so much so that I didnt even click on the pic to look closer, then this afternoon someone brought it to my attention again. Looking at the pattern on the back half of the dorsal, it is the same pattern found on tonozukai. The blue on the underside, I dont think matters much, as males of the complex have been shown to have blue to varying degrees, although this is certainly on the heavy side. It lacks the elongated middle dorsal filaments of tonozukai, but there could be a number of reasons for that, and even though I personally identify myself as a seperator of species, I dont feel there are enough differences for cf. tonozukai to be seperated from "true" tonozukai. As of now I am saying C. tonozukai.

Mirror that train of thought, and that was my path... lol

I'll bring this to the table: ???? ?Wrasses Vegas? ??????????????

Clearly it's "that". Whatever we want to label "that". Probably a regional variant, or perhaps a hybrid.

eatbreakfast · Apr 2, 2015

evolved said:
Mirror that train of thought, and that was my path... lol

I'll bring this to the table: ???? ?Wrasses Vegas? ??????????????

Clearly it's "that". Whatever we want to label "that". Probably a regional variant, or perhaps a hybrid.

Tanaka also has a picture of ot in his article on reefkeeping.com from a few years back. It's next to a pic of a rubripinnis.

eatbreakfast · Apr 3, 2015

I personally dont think its a regional variant, because, even though there have been multiple examples in the past, there have been no quantities brought in at any time, so I dont think there are populations of this wrasse. Though I have not seen any pics of wild fish intermingled with any other fairy wrasses, so it is pure speculation. I feel it is just a recessive trait, almost an aberration.

Fin clips are hopefully going to be collected and sent to Barcode of Life Database, so hopefully there will at some point be clarification on the matter, though I am not overly optimistic about this because closely related of species of wrasses genetically tested thus far have been genetically close enough to be seperated only by meristics, not genetics.

My personal belief is that this is not the only time this has occurred with Cirrhilabrus. C. brunneus is never found in any numbers at a time, but rather, intermingled amongst C. lunatus.

evolved · Apr 3, 2015

Fair points. It'll be interesting to see if testing leads to anything, but I suspect you're right.

chemwiz · Apr 3, 2015

Fairy Wrasse ID

Hello Hunter from a fellow AZ FRAG

I think I've narrowed this ID down to a Red Banded Fair Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus roseafascia.

It looked like the stock online photos when it was a little stressed on acclimation, but can't find definitive pic for its daytime colors.

Thank you in advance.

eatbreakfast · Apr 3, 2015

Its Cirrhilabrus lubbocki, Cebu variant.

chemwiz · Apr 3, 2015

So juvenile female then

eatbreakfast · Apr 4, 2015

chemwiz said:
So juvenile female then

Yours is a young male, females are uniformly pink with a black spot at the base of the tail.

evolved · Apr 6, 2015

^ yup, exactly. The male lubbocki from cebu looks different such as this.

And hi.

MIKE NY · Apr 7, 2015

Yup Cebu Lubbocki... I have one

chemwiz · Apr 7, 2015

Thank you guys, he's really befrended everyone in the tank already.

KoleTang · Apr 10, 2015

What region is the purple variation of C. luteovittatus from?

Vs. the red form:

evolved said:
^ yup, exactly. The male lubbocki from cebu looks different such as this.

And hi.

Is Cebu the only main variant from the standard C. lubbocki or are there others?

evolved · Apr 10, 2015

I've noticed the color variation on luteovittatus before myself, but I am not sure what region it's tied to. I'll have to look at a reference when I get home.

Cebu is the only variation on lubbocki.

niftyjosh · Apr 10, 2015

eatbreakfast · Apr 10, 2015

KoleTang said:
What region is the purple variation of C. luteovittatus from?

Vs. the red form:

Is Cebu the only main variant from the standard C. lubbocki or are there others?

The range of Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus is not widespread. The difference in colors is more related to photography issues such as white balance and lighting the fish were photographed under rather than regional variation.

niftyjosh said:

Male Halichoeres chrysotaenia.

4FordFamily · Apr 10, 2015

He tried to fool you, because 99% of those in this hobby cannot tell melanarus from Vroliks. I have two Vroliks.

To anyone curious, Vroliks tend to be more colorful and have more Blues on belly but the only way to tell for sure is stripes vs spots on tail, and Vroliks are more patterned throughout and have less stripes. Both are gorgeous fish

niftyjosh · Apr 11, 2015

3fordfamily said:
He tried to fool you, because 99% of those in this hobby cannot tell melanarus from Vroliks.

Got me. This is the third Vrolik I've been lucky enough to put through my primer program and I'm keeping it this time.

They are easily one of the most aggressive hunters in the family and a healthy male turns a beautiful light blue with bright red highlights.

4FordFamily · Apr 12, 2015

niftyjosh said:
Got me. This is the third Vrolik I've been lucky enough to put through my primer program and I'm keeping it this time.

They are easily one of the most aggressive hunters in the family and a healthy male turns a beautiful light blue with bright red highlights.

"Shneaky like a Pearl Harbor"

evolved · Apr 13, 2015

eatbreakfast said:
The range of Cirrhilabrus luteovittatus is not widespread. The difference in colors is more related to photography issues such as white balance and lighting the fish were photographed under rather than regional variation.

I had forgotten how small the range is. I've always assumed the apparent purple/maroon variation was variation in photography, but I wasn't sure. All the specimens I've personally seen of the species I would describe as purple rather than red or maroon.