Bell’s flasher wrasse, Paracheilinus bellae, is one of the most elusive of the ornamental labridae. With the lyretail of P. angulatus, the dorsal filaments of P. filamentosus and more blue linework than P. octotaenia, Bell’s Flasher wrasse is at the top of the wish list of the die hard wrasse collectors. The only other flasher wrasse that even comes close is Paracheilinus attenuatus but we’ve already been there. Endemic to the Marshall Islands and Palau, Paracheilinus bellus is a species which may not yet have been imported into the US, that is until House of Fins scored a few in anticipation of next week’s 53rd anniversary sale. We don’t know how many HOF will have for sale but we just hope to see at least one specimen displaying the exquisite beauty of the specimen above, photographed by Pisces Kazu.
