Cirrhilabrus exquisitus is an unusually widespread and variable species which appears to form a lineage alongside the scottorum and cyanopleura groups, with all three sharing characteristically mid-length pelvic fins. Unlike any other species of Cirrhilabrus, the Exquisite Fairy Wrasse has…
Search Results For: VS series
Is Japan really home to any endemic Fairy Wrasses? Cirrhilabrus katoi disagrees
The reefs of Japan are known to harbour unique fauna found nowhere else on this earth. Rife with endemics, species such as Centropyge interrupta, Chaetodon daedalma, Genicanthus takeuchii, Chromis mirationis and a whole hodgepodge of other reef fish call this…
2.1 Fairy Wrasses: The scottorum group
Moving away from the first major Cirrhilabrus clade, we explore the various species groups that differ by having larger and longer pelvic fins. The scottorum group is a small conglomeration of two confirmed species, one of which is highly polychromatic…
The rarely seen Striking Sea Star
Despite the diversity of sea stars that abound in tropical waters, relatively few species find their way into aquariums with any regularity. One of the most interesting species—morphologically, behaviorally and evolutionarily—is also one of the most seldomly encountered: the “Striking…
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…
Awesome Fish Spotlight: Who took a tuka and made it pascalus?
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but the hiatus ends today with another Awesome Fish Spotlight. This time we feature not one, but two species as we draw attention to Pseudanthias pascalus and Pseudanthias tuka. While looking superficially similar and rather…
Opulent Osaka Part 1: Makoto Matsuoka’s decade old Prognathodes collection
We just got back from a three day trip to Osaka and if you’re a fish lover, you’re going to want to keep your eyes peeled and attention focused on this page for the next week at least. Japan as…
Mile-High MACNA Rises to the Occasion
Denver, Colorado, situated a mile above sea level, might seem like an unusual host city for a conference focused exclusively on marine aquaria, but this year’s Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA), held August 29–31 at the Colorado Convention…
LED Showdown Round 2: Who survived and who is moving on
The first round of the 2013 Reef Builders LED showdown is in the books. After the dust settled there were some pretty clear winners and a few closer battles but the bottom line is, some of the tougher battles are…
It’s Back! Let the 2013 LED Showdown Begin
It’s back! It’s January and that means it’s time for our annual jaunt down LED memory lane with the 2013 Reef Builders LED Showdown — so let the haters hate and the photon geeks rejoice. We’ve have a lot of…
