The tiger wrasse, Thallassoma hardwicki, may not be all that uncommon but it is a rare sight to see a fully grown supermale specimen. Hardiwcki wrasses are often seen at the LFS as small 3-4″ specimens which barely display the coloration of mature adults. As it ages, the Hardwicki wrasse will develop more and more of the adult coloration. When an adult specimen has reached full size it is said to be in “terminal phase” and as adults they are more often referred to as Tiger Wrasses because of the pronounced tiger like stripes on it’s back. The specimen in the video is about 9″ long and it was filmed last week at Denver’s Downtown Aquarium.
