Awesome Fish Spotlight: Cirrhilabrus brunneus, specter of darkness

Today’s Awesome Fish Spotlight is a recap on a species that we’ve highlighted before, but aims to introduce new pictures of a brand new specimen that recently entered the market again. Cirrhilabrus brunneus is a rare species that is closely…

Tony Vargas’ Cirrhilabrus brunneus: a diabolical looking fairy wrasse

Our very own Tony Vargas recently scored with a most unusual lab rid. The unusually colored fairy wrasse appears to be C. brunneus, a species recently described and previously thought to be a dark color form of Cirrhilabrus lunatus, which…

Cirrhilabrus isosceles finally gives the pintail fairy wrasse a name

Cirrhilabrus isosceles is the 51st member of the fairy wrasse genus, and one whose time to receive official scientific description has been long overdue. Long referred to as C. cf lanceolatus or the Pintail Fairy Wrasse, this is a fish that packs…

Calling all MACNA attendees. We want you to clip all the fins!

This is a public service announcement for all Fairy Wrasse aficionados. As you may have known, we are embarking on a cursory phylogenetic review of the genus Cirrhilabrus in all its intimate and baroque detail. As fun as it is…

1.2 Fairy Wrasses: The lunatus group

Cirrhilabrus johnsoni was first described in 1988 based on specimens collected in the Marshall and Caroline islands. This small species served as the twentieth member of a rapidly expanding genus, and was decidedly different with a crescent shaped caudal fin adorned…

0.0 Fairy Wrasses: A review of the genus Cirrhilabrus

Fairy wrasses are some of the most ubiquitous fishes in the marine aquarium trade, which is why it may come as a surprise to learn that the group has never received a serious taxonomic review. The scientific literature is filled…

Opulent Osaka Part 4: A BlueHarbor tribute, and the man behind the brand

We’ve come to our last and final installation of our four part Osaka travelogue. If you’ve been following parts 1, 2 and 3, we hope you’ve enjoyed it, and thank you for exploring some of Osaka’s most opulent reef keepers…

Cirrhilabrus squirei finally gets an official description

Cirrhilabrus squirei is a new species of fairy wrasse from the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea which was first discovered and collected by Cairns Marine of Australia. The new fairy wrasse species is named after Lyle Squire and…

Our top six smashing aquarium debuts of 2013

Here’s another 2013 recap, but this time, we’re featuring smashing aquarium debuts of 2013. Yes that’s right, 2013 is a year of first times, and these five fishes have had their moment in the spotlight in the past months. While…

Incredibly rare Cirrhilabrus hybrid from RVS FishWorld lands in Iwarna Aquafarm, Singapore

The amazing wrasse pictured above is an incredibly rare fusion between two already rare species. The yet to be described Pintail fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus cf. lanceolatus) and the also difficult to obtain Crescent tail fairy wrasse (C. lunatus) sometimes hybridizes…