Fairy wrasse ID

[SDguy]

OK, sorry for the crappy pic, it's the best I have so far:


The fish is all bright red, squared off tail. The very front of its dorsal fin is black. Its face is covered in VERY thin electric blue lines (doesn't show up in the pics). Slightly pale belly. Any ideas, or do you need a better pic?

[wrasseguy2]

need a pic from the side...but i like the color that i see from the front

[SDguy]

These are the only other pics I have...I'll try to get better ones tonight. Like I said though. He's all red, with a squared off tail. Not much else to see. Hopefully new pics will captured those brilliant blue pinstripes on his face.

[SDguy]

BTW, I'm guessing it's a male because the LFS had two next to each other, and they were going crazy trying to attack each other. They looked exactly alike. Would females behave that way? He's small, maybe 1.5" tops.

[wrasseguy2]

it looks kinda like a red fin fairy but kinda like a flame...maybe Tanaka could help out on this...what ever it is the colors are really cool

[Thurge]

Its not ringing any bells for me and I don't know where my Fairy wrasse book is. What ever it is it very pretty and I would love to see a picture showing the blue lines you talk about.

[jessezm]

My redfin fairies look very similar, only they have a whiter belly and a blue patch under their chins. They definitely have the electric blue streaks you describe, though. Looks more like the pics I've seen of flame wrasses, though.

[SDguy]

Wow, it looks quite different today. Slight darkening on the dorsay body, and a spot? forming on the tail base. You can see the lines through thehead in this pic, tey just aren't blue at this angle...

[jessezm]

Is there any blue (just a line or a splash) under its chin? It looks A LOT like my redfin fairies.

[wrasseguy2]

it does look alot like a red fin fairy...the ones that i have had were very aggresive..in fact the last in i did have i had to move him to a tank byhimself for sometime and then put him back but he still was a pain so i traded him in

[Thurge]

Now its looking more familiar. Still don't know where the freaking book is though.

[zemuron114]

it actually looks identical to my 2 female mccosker flasher wrasses. The females were a dark color with blue lines from the face.

however, i dont think it is that. lol nice though

[SDguy]

It does look A LOT like the female McCosker's on wetwebmedia...

[blface]

Where's Dr. T. when we need him? I'm not sure on a positive id either.

[JBG]

Looks alot like a social fairy wrasse to me . See if the colors darken more and the blue becomes more prominant .

Heres mine under 14k lighting .

[JBG]

Love how you cant delete your own posts

[SDguy]

Only the very bottom of the belly is SLIGHTLY white. And it fades to red, no line of demarcation.

Honestly, really doesn't matter terribly what it is, as long as it's not mean

[JBG]

It shouldnt be mean most of them arent specialy if they are added last Pete Would like to see it later when its in full color .

[SDguy]

Originally posted by JBG
It shouldn't be mean most of them aren't especially if they are added last Pete Would like to see it later when its in full color .

I guess I'm just paranoid after the yellow streak fiasco

[Doureefa]

IMO it looks like a yellow fin fairy wrasse with the exception of having less yellow on it's fin. Check it out on this web site: http://www.marinecenter.com/fish/wrassereefsafe/

[wrasseguy2]

i was taking a look through a couple of my books and that fish looks like a female c. tonozukai or a juv. c. rubripinnis...still hard to tell but i hope he works out for you

[H.Tanaka]

SDguy,

I have waited for additional photos of it, but now I cannot tell exactly what it is, but I suspect that it is one the undescribed species from southern Sulawesi and Malaysia region. It looks alike C. rubripinnis in appearance.


I hope to ask you; first its size.

A black spot on caudal peduncle, not on soft dorsal fin ?

A dark spot at the first dorsal spine ?

Abdominal side abruptly white ?

Whitish at base of anal fin ?

Thanks.

Hiroyuki

[Inverte-J]

I can't break out the scientific names like the last guy, but it looks like a plain old Longfin Fairy Wrasse. The best looking fins on a Wrasse I think.

[SDguy]

Thanks for all the input. I will try to get some better pictures today when I get home from work, and answer the questions posted by H. Tanaka.

[armagedon48]

did you find it at petco? i have seen 5 of these show up at the local petco that look exactly like the one in the photo. i have also wondered what kind it is. petco is charging like 27.99 for them as well, which i guess isn't very bad.