Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus, picture by Pisces Kazu.

There’s always something about rare fish that really gets me going, regardless of species. I have however, a soft spot for wrasses and I secretly moonlight as a Cirrhilabrus nerd. For those living under a liverock, the quintessential genus, more commonly known as “Fairy wrasses”, boasts of more than fifty species, many of which have piqued the interest of casual and professional hobbyists alike. While many species have been offered in the hobby, a hand few remain so rare that almost no pictures exists anywhere unless you happen to own one of these. Species like Cirrhilabrus blatteus, C. randalli, C. cenderawasih, C. walshi, and the super elusive C. claire etc will probably never live to see what a home aquarium looks like.

C. lanceolatus, picture by Pisces Kazu.

Here’s five of my all time favorite fairy wrasses, beauty  wise,  that most can only  dream of  owning. The  lanceolatus  fairy  wrasse (Cirrhilabrus  lanceolatus) you see  headlining this  article and to the left, is  one of the most  spectacular. What  strikes me the most about this  species is the  gorgeous emerald  green highlights that trim the  edge of its fins  and the extremely  long sword like tail that it  bears. This  Japanese endemic fish  has only been caught a few  times and  the one on the left was  from BlueHarbor, pictures on the top by Pisces kazu. The  lanceolatus fairy wrasse is one of the larger species in the genus  and can grow up to 15cm from snout to tail. The very similarly  colored rose-banded fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus roseafascia) is a more obtainable alternative.

Here’s a rather low quality video of two lanceolatus fairy wrasses in Japan and you can roughly make out the incredible sword like tail that it drags heavily behind as it swims, almost in an arowana-esque fashion! The second video attached depicts a young pair in the wild, not nearly as nice as they can be though.

Cirrhilabrus sanguineus is another dramatically colored species. This Mauritian endemic is very very rarely collected and the one above is owned by Dr. Hiroyuki Tanaka, the go to guy for all things wrassey. I remember when I first saw this species, I was floored by the red patch it possessed on it’s body, very aptly suited for its common name, the blood stained fairy wrasse.

Cirrhilabrus katoi, picture by BlueHarbor.

Number three on the list is Cirrhilabrus katoi, the kato’s fairy wrasse. Although plain looking in appearance when sombre and un-excited, the nuptial coloration of the Kato’s fairy wrasse is almost unmatched by any species. A simple google search will yield many awesome pictures of this species, with flared fins studded with shiny spots. However this precious video of two males in the wild squaring off is just simply amazing and will put any wrasse lover at the edge of their seats. The picture above is from Koji Wada, the man behind BlueHarbor.

Cirrhilabus cf. lanceolatus, picture by Pisces Kazu.

The wrasse above is a relatively new one and is  still undescribed as of now. Tentatively named Cirrhilabrus cf.  lanceolatus, the splendid or pintail fairy wrasse is rarely seen  in the trade and can be found in the waters of Japan and Cebu.  The first photo above is a shot taken by Koji Wada, and was  sharing  the same tank as the Kato’s fairy wrasse. Second photo  of a nuptial male by Pisces kazu. The studly male on  the left is  the first of few pieces that LiveAquaria offered on the  Diver’s  Den. The pintail fairy wrasse at one point was trickling  into  the hobby in small numbers but lately we’ve not been  seeing  any offered for sale. The one on the left was one of the  first few  pieces to hit the U.S market and credit goes to Kevin  Kohen for  the wonderful photo.

We’re now almost at the end of  my top  five pick and the last species may not be as flamboyant as the  rest,  but it’s one of my favorites. Cirrhilabrus marjorie used to  be  pretty uncommon in the trade but is now occasionally available with  the opening up of Fiji fish collection facilities. Founded in 2003 and named after Bruce Carlson’s wife, the Marjorie’s fairy wrasse is a two toned red and white species that is endemic to the Fiji region. The fish is part of the “flavidorsalis complex” of fairy wrasse as can be seen my its general shape and appearance. Females of this species and the others in the complex are all red with a black peduncular spot and are super difficult to distinguish from each other. Although nowhere near as colorful as any of the species i’ve chosen above, the marjorie’s fairy wrasse is certainly one to look out for. A big thank you to Dr. Hiroyuki Tanaka, Brad Syphus and Jim Gryczanowski for sharing their passion and knowledge with me on Cirrhilabrus.