wrasses

Reef Nuggets 3: Fairies and Flashers, with notes from the wild

Today’s Reef Nuggets deal with a topic very close to my heart. Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus, or more commonly known as the fairy and flasher wrasses. Instead of my usual banter on “this ultra rare flasher wrasse” or that “extremely deepwater…

Photos of Cirrhilabrus cenderawasih and Paracheilinus walton give us a glimpse into the endemic life of West Papua

In a world abundant with coral reefs and geographical landscapes, no place captivates me quite like the amazing and wonderful West Papua. Isolated and disjunct from just about everywhere, the local flora and fauna both terrestrial and aquatic have evolved in…

Photos of Paracheilinus nursalim by Eric Cheng are the best we’ve seen of this species

The West Papuan endemic Paracheilinus nursalim is not only the crème de la crème of Paracheilinus, it is also one of the newer members to be described; Discovered not too long ago in 2006, and described in 2008. This stunning gem is…

The five best new reef fish species of 2013

As in previous years, 2013 has been an excellent year for new species of reef fish being discovered, and described. As usual there’s been a lot of Eviota and Trimma gobies, the dwarf gobies are plentiful, and there’s been a…

The ultra rare Paracheilinus hemitaeniatus makes its 2013 year end debut

As the countdown for 2014 ticks closer with each passing day, the chances of seeing another industry’s first grows narrower and narrower. We’ve seen some incredible fish this year, even some never before seen species, and here’s another last minute…

Paracheilinus rennyae, a new flasher wrasse from Flores Indonesia

Paracheilinus rennyae is a new species of flasher wrasse recently described with a very unique and distinct outline to its profile. Looking not unlike the smooth edged Paracheilinus octotaenia from the Red Sea, Paracheilinus rennyae comes from southwestern Flores Island in the…

Not True To Name – a variation of the red tailed flasher wrasse, Paracheilinus rubricaudalis, found on the GBR

The Flasher Wrasses, like their cousins the Fairy Wrasses, epitomize what a great, reef-safe marine fish really is. One of the newest species on the block, Paracheilinus rubricaudalis or the Redtailed Flasher Wrasse described by Randall and Allen in 2003,…

LiveAquaria shows off what could be the studliest male Paracheilinus piscilineatus yet

The highly elusive demi god of the flasher wrasses, Paracheilinus piscilineatus has eluded divers and rare fish collectors alike for the longest time imaginable – that is until 2011. Since the start of last year, the industry has been getting fleeting glimpses…

Labridae Fishes: Wrasses by Rudie Kuiter, the ultimate wrasse book only available on demand

Labridae Fishes: Wrasses looks like the ultimate wrasse book, the Wrasse bible written by one of the masters of reef fish books Rudie Kuiter. Stacked on top of some of Rudie Kuiter’s great works is the new wrasse book which…