Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

evolved · Nov 18, 2015

Halichoeres biocellatus, more often called the "Red lined wrasse". Some call it a christmas wrasse, which also can refer to ~4 other species.

I hate common names.

Wankell · Nov 18, 2015

evolved said:
Halichoeres biocellatus, more often called the "Red lined wrasse". Some call it a christmas wrasse, which also can refer to ~4 other species.

I hate common names.

Thank you, oh wise one!

saltysilverado · Nov 20, 2015

Wings6010 said:
Got her in West palm beach, FL as a mislabeled "pink flanked wrasse" 29.99 HaHa
Please tell me it's what I think it is!? She had internals, prazipro did the trick and now she's eating every girl and gaining the weight back.

Where did you buy your wrasse?

Wrassesngobies · Nov 21, 2015

Ok so I know this is in the timminckii complex but it doesn't really look like the Japanese stuff and the article on reefbuilders in the timminckii group was helpful and yet confusing. The fish looks much better here at home than at the store but I need help. Excuse the fake plant. They went to qt for prazipro prior to going into a display tank.

Thanks

Zac

twon8 · Nov 21, 2015

Looks like a blue stripe flasher, a cf temminckii

Wrassesngobies · Nov 21, 2015

Thats kinda what I was thinking on it. Not bad for 31 bucks hahaha.

Wings6010 · Nov 21, 2015

saltysilverado said:
Where did you buy your wrasse?

At tanks a lot on lantana

eatbreakfast · Nov 22, 2015

Wrassesngobies said:
Ok so I know this is in the timminckii complex but it doesn't really look like the Japanese stuff and the article on reefbuilders in the timminckii group was helpful and yet confusing. The fish looks much better here at home than at the store but I need help. Excuse the fake plant. They went to qt for prazipro prior to going into a display tank.

Thanks

Zac

It's. He Indo-Phillippines variant of temminki.

Wrassesngobies · Nov 22, 2015

TJ-

Where do you stand on the multitude of different forms of temminckii? I know Both the Kuiter books list others and the group page on reefbuilders lists even more. Overly splitting of a variable species or lots of smaller ranging species? Same with the exquisitus complex.

Zac

RavenSF · Nov 22, 2015

Wankell said:
This was won at a club meet as a christmas wrasse, accurate? if so wheres all the green? is it because its a juvi?

I have a male H. Biocellatus, it's a great fish. My YWG HATES him but since the YWG goes to bed first, the Biocellatus dives into his den to sleep right underneath him.

eatbreakfast · Nov 22, 2015

Wrassesngobies said:
TJ-

Where do you stand on the multitude of different forms of temminckii? I know Both the Kuiter books list others and the group page on reefbuilders lists even more. Overly splitting of a variable species or lots of smaller ranging species? Same with the exquisitus complex.

Zac

I personally feel that there are too many splits for some of these species and think that there are just regional variants for most of them.

Much of the genetic work that has been done (albeit incomplete) hasn't shown a significant difference, but that hasn't stopped some taxonomists from describing them and making them valid species, particularly Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean variants.

That being said, recognizing regional variants is valuable to hobbyist as some regions are more valuable than others.

Wrassesngobies · Nov 22, 2015

eatbreakfast said:
I personally feel that there are too many splits for some of these species and think that there are just regional variants for most of them.

Much of the genetic work that has been done (albeit incomplete) hasn't shown a significant difference, but that hasn't stopped some taxonomists from describing them and making them valid species, particularly Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean variants.

That being said, recognizing regional variants is valuable to hobbyist as some regions are more valuable than others.

I'd love to get my hands on some of the fish from Rowley Shoals, but I know thats about impossible at the moment. I can lust after them in the Labridae Fishes: Wrasses book. I'm a splitter in my work field (plant taxonomist), generally, when plants are involved. Fish are my hobby, and as with my passion for plants, I love to research the heck out of things before I mess with them. Fish fascinate me because of the release of gametes and then the larvae can end up far away, and yet they generally end up within their range, and usually in the predictable places.

Its great having a local store which gets in rare fish and holds them a while before selling them close to us. He's not cheap, but I have a lot less attrition on the fish I get from him than from other sources. He's got a really nice Red-headed Wrasse male at the moment which he's had for a month that we have been lusting after, but his shipment from Monday of cf. lanceolatus won out and I got a small female.

Zac

evolved · Nov 23, 2015

twon8 said:
Looks like a blue stripe flasher, a cf temminckii

That common name doesn't make sense to me, seeing how Cirrhilabrus species are "fairy" wrasses, not flashers. (Unless that was a typo?)

eatbreakfast said:
I personally feel that there are too many splits for some of these species and think that there are just regional variants for most of them.

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but I totally agree here.

And yet, there are some splits which seemed to be generally regarded as regional variants I could argue should be separate species (really speaking to pylei v. cf pylei).

eatbreakfast · Nov 23, 2015

evolved said:
That common name doesn't make sense to me, seeing how Cirrhilabrus species are "fairy" wrasses, not flashers. (Unless that was a typo?)

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but I totally agree here.

And yet, there are some splits which seemed to be generally regarded as regional variants I could argue should be separate species (really speaking to pylei v. cf pylei).

I agree with separating pyei and cf pylei as well as cf cyanopleura being it's own species.

twon8 · Nov 23, 2015

evolved said:
That common name doesn't make sense to me, seeing how Cirrhilabrus species are "fairy" wrasses, not flashers. (Unless that was a typo?)

I know the question wasn't directed at me, but I totally agree here.

And yet, there are some splits which seemed to be generally regarded as regional variants I could argue should be separate species (really speaking to pylei v. cf pylei).

I'm quoting Kuiter, and there is the "fairy flasher wrasse" P. piscilineatus, so why not a "flasher fairy wrasse"?

evolved · Nov 23, 2015

twon8 said:
so why not a "flasher fairy wrasse"?

Because people are easily confused, and this is how misnomers are started.

evolved · Nov 23, 2015

And Kuiter makes occasional mistakes too

Wrassesngobies · Nov 23, 2015

twon8 said:
I'm quoting Kuiter, and there is the "fairy flasher wrasse" P. piscilineatus, so why not a "flasher fairy wrasse"?

That is the big book, reprint paperback one right? I love that book.

So you guys are saying you agree with the pylei split, and cf. cyanopleura. What about the KwaZUlu and other rubriVENTRALIS things? I know genetics hasn't shown a difference really to speak of.

Zac

evolved · Nov 23, 2015

sp. 1 versus sp. 2, (Kwazulu and Kenya) - same fish, but separate from rubriventralis

rubriventralis versus cf. rubriventralis - same fish

All the rest in the complex with unique species names are correctly separate, IMO.

eatbreakfast · Nov 23, 2015

Wrassesngobies said:
That is the big book, reprint paperback one right? I love that book.

So you guys are saying you agree with the pylei split, and cf. cyanopleura. What about the KwaZUlu and other rubrimarginatus things? I know genetics hasn't shown a difference really to speak of.

Zac

I think that Kwazulu should be a species, but Kuiter has species 3 as separate but I think it and Kwazulu are synonymous.

To me the the different Rubrimarginatus aren't distinct enough to warrant speciation.