Holy Wow, would you take a look at that fish. It’s amazing how in one week we’ve seen multiple specimens of the fabled diamond tail flasher wrasse, Paracheilinus attenuatus. It’s no wonder then that Old Town Aquarium and Greenwich Aquaria both sold their single specimens for $200 or more in a matter of days, possibly the priciest flasher wrasse to date. Blue Harbor recently posted one of the most mature male specimens shown above with an amazing display coloration. In this posture the male diamond tail flasher wrasse is showing some resemblance with another neighbouring endemic species, Paracheilinus octotaenia, the eight line flasher wrasse found only in the Red Sea. Although the 8-line flasher has no dorsal filament, check out the barely visible threadfin in Blue Harbor’s diamond tail specimen; it’s subtleties like that that tiny threadfin that make some fish really stand out. That remarkable anal fin is nothing to scoff at either. Since we’ve seen more P. attenuatus available in the last week than in the last few years, something tells us that we may be able to expect this species to come in more regularly, especially if Reef Builders can help it.
