Unknown Fish ID Assist?

[M.Dandaneau]

My prediliction for unique fish has once again brought me begging for identification assistance.......I ran accross this little guy in a local LFS yesterday being sold as a Green Chromis, which it obviously isn't, and by today my curiosity made me go back and pick it up.
The attached photograph came out pretty clear, so let me add the essential information......total length at present is about 2", and the caudal fin is about twice the size evident in the photograph, as the rear half of the tail is so clear as to be difficult to see.
The pectoral fins are fairly small, very clear and used as the primary means of locomotion.
The body is almost paper thin, with all the internal organs taking up less than 1/4 of it's total length, including the head!
As soon as I got the fish home, I place it in our 100 gal. tank with many similarly sized relatively peaceful fish with the observations:
1) the fish swam in a vertical position, head up, very slow and deliberate and stayed at the top of the water, making no attempt to swim down into the considerable LR, and began snapping up frozen brine shrimp within minutes of being introduced, still in the head up position.
Within minutes, it became obvious that the fish was distressed by the activity of the other fish and hung, head up in the corner of the tank.
2) I moved the fish to the 25 gal. hex seahorse tank, the bottom half of which contains a luxurient stand of feather caulerpa and it immediately swam down into the macroalgae and began hunting live brine and small pods.
In the caulerpa, the fishes movements are very slow and deliberate, very much like the seahorses, pipefish and mandarin gobies.
It seems to have fairly fast color changing abilities to blend into its environment, so far staying in greens and greenish browns.
My thoughts so far have been a wrasse (doubtful), a kelpfish (similar body shape and finnage, except all seem to have the upward projecting potion of the dorsal fin seperate from the continuous soft dorsal), a blenny (much thinner than any I'm aware of, with swimming style highly unlike most of the family) or, lastly a waspfish, similar to the genus Ablabys (the doral fin is the correct shape, likewise the caudal fin, but the pectoral fins are considerably smaller...the mouth is likewise proportionate, except for the nose being noticably more pointed)
Any help will be appreciated.....whatever it is, I love it, but at this stage not knowing whether it's a juvenile or an adult of a small species or even where it came from leaves literally everything up in the air.
I'm going to double post this over in the reef fish section as well, as its small size and deliberate movements may well have led someone else to try it in that environment vs a FO or FOWLR tank.
Thanking everyone in advance,
Mike

[Triggeraddict]

Just to say again is a Novaculichthys macrolepidotus, the Green Leaf Coris Wrasse.

[FMarini]

ditto....
It appears to be a type of wrasse. Althou not too sure since the angle of the head presents some potential mandibular extensions
The head has a hallmark wrasse shape. cool looking critter, your description reads like its a kelpfish thou. it will be interesting to see what the adult fish looks like.
frank

It is a wrasse, but it is better know as a seagrass wrasse.
Buddy

[M.Dandaneau]

Thank you all and you may well be correct, which is still a win-win situation for myself.
One thing that would support the wrasse angle is that the original 100 gal. tank contained a small, exceptionally colored Slippery Dick wrasse, Halichoeres bivivitatus which was the only fish that showed actual aggression to the newcomer.
I've got a regular dragon wrasse that's now about 7" long and was raised from a similar size, and I have to say there couldn't be more distinctive diferential behavior in the world, like night and day, as even at that small size the dragon took its attitude with it wherever it went and still does.
The biggest difference I can see so far between my little guy and the photos I've found with your assistance is an unusually high front edge on the dorsal fin compared to most, while the extreme thinness isn't actually mentioned.
As long as I've been in the hobby, I've never managed to find or run accross a Green Leaf wrasse, so I'm still very happy about it.
Wow...a peaceful wrasse besides fairies and flashers...whod'a thunk it?

[Wee Man]

OMG M. you are asking for OUR help geez if you dont know wh does

definitely looks like a wrasse

M.Dandaneau , check this out if this is the wrasse you have that i said is better known as a seagrass wrasse;

http://research.kahaku.go.jp/zoology...a/fish275.html

Happy Holidays All....... HO,HO,HO
Buddy

[Real Reefs]

I think it is Novaculichthys macrolepidotus as Triggeraddict says. I know it's common name as Green Razor Wrasse.

I think it is Novaculichthys macrolepidotus as Triggeraddict says.

It could be as so, the image is a bit darken and i had both this fishes as choice for which it may be and some how i arrive at the conclusion that it just might be this guy, that is why i went thru my folders to locate this and post it for M.Dandaneau so he could decide in what the correct name of his new arrival because he has the better view to compair pictures and the fish he is trying to identify.

OMG M. you are asking for OUR help geez if you dont know wh does

Wee Man, you will fine that no matter how much research in your life time you do on any and all marine animals, you can never know them all. But im sure there are some who are trying.
Happy Holidays folks
Buddy

[M.Dandaneau]

Again, thank you all......if it's a wrasse at all, I too would have to go with the Novaculichthys macrolepidotus, at least based on the photos I've been able to find, and it's definitely not a Halochoeres.
As I said, this particular fishes habits are unlike any wrasse I've ever seen, even it's closest relatives, as I have a large dragon wrasse that I raised from a similar size and likewise have caught and kept the American razorfishes.
To me, finding a fish like this whose habits and behavior are so unique is a large part of why I'm still as fascinated as when I first saw the ocean in 1967.
One last question and I'll quit beating this horse and just set back, learn and enjoy.....has anyone out there ever kept one of these, either as a juvenile or an adult?

[M.Dandaneau]

Here's a rather poor photo of my dragon wrasse....this guy is now about 7" and its attitude is even more pronounced that when it was 2" long and fully living up to the designation Dragon.
Even the morays get a dose of attitude when it spots them, and while feeding with the tongs the other day, I accidently bumped it.
To my surprise, it immediately turned around and attacked the tongs.

[M.Dandaneau]

And the winner is.......Novaculichthys macrolepidotus!
Great work, ladies and gents.....all that knew the correct fish have 2 weeks free room and board if you ever want to come to Florida on a collecting expedition (there's a lot more here locally that I can't ID...bring your thinking caps!)
At lights out, the little lady (well, she'll be female first, right?) dove straight into the sand and reappeared at sunup this morning.
As I said, any info from anyone who has ever personally kept one would be appreciated, and an e-mail would be just as good as here to save servers.
Mdandane@tampabay.rr.com
Again, well done and thank you.
Mike

Well Mike, this should be fun, but perhaps you should put us on the pay roll first
Happy Holidays All.... HO,HO,HO
Buddy

[M.Dandaneau]

Jeez...you mean you wouldn't want to pull a heavy net through the seagrass beds just for the fun and excitement, not to mention a chance at some really nice fish for your tank at GREAT prices?

Honestly, im always interested in learning of any new species or any marine animal i can study up on.....

Florida on a collecting expedition (there's a lot more here locally that I can't ID...bring your thinking caps!)

If i ever had the time it was some years ago, now im way busy with the new arrivals in the family changing diapers and cleaning little running noses And im to be a granddad again, a baby boy to enter this world on Jan 7th, if it goes that far and his name to be William Christopher Storch, His middle name after my middle name and his last name follows his dad. Right now im a baby sitter of twin 15 month olds, a boy & girl The kids really take to me, what a wonderful feeling it is
Buddy

[Triggeraddict]

Or better yet, how about you collect and ship some to the winners, like say some Lookdowns? JK! I really really want some someday though. Actually where do you live in Floridia in relations to Orlando (probably way away huh?). We are coming down over Spring Break.
I have kept the little wrasse before that I why I knew what it was. I have seen quite a few recently at a lfs and they seriously look like the grinch that stole Christmas, especially as they grow up. They show more characteristics in common with the Dragon as they grow too. I am planning on buying another here very soon. It was sad, one day I had him and the next morning he never woke up and didn't see his body outside the tank so don't know what happened but a store here in Ft Collins, has 2 right now so am thinking about the smaller one. I hadn't really thought about it till you posted this, now I really want to go buy one and it is all your fault !

[M.Dandaneau]

I'll accept the blame...you'll post photos, right?
We're in Clearwater, just accross from Tampa, on the Gulf side (about a 2 hour drive) and you'd seriously be welcome and perhaps catch your own Lookdown?**grin**
We'd supply the nets and travelling boxes, of course.
Twins?
That, I'm afraid, would prove fatal to me!