2.3 Fairy Wrasses: The exquisitus complex

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…

2.2 Fairy Wrasses: The cyanopleura group

The cyanopleura group is the next collection of fairy wrasses from the second major Cirrhilabrus clade (whose member taxa share the trait of mid-length pelvic fins) and is sister to the scottorum group. In the latter, certain traits that were diagnostic to the members will be…

O’ don’t you love this anthias – Odontanthias unimaculatus

Odontanthias is a small genus which includes slightly over a dozen species. Members of this genus are quite unlike the slender cliché of regular anthiines, and are characterized by having rather deep body profiles and steep foreheads. Being exclusive worshippers…

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…

Behind the face of LiveAquaria – Kevin Kohen’s fish collection part 2

Here’s part two of our trip to LiveAquaria and a peek inside Kevin Kohen’s office and his fish collection. Incase you still do not know, Kevin Kohen is the man behind the company and as mentioned in part 1 of…

Navigobius dartfish discovered in the Philippines!

Pictured above is an incredible sample of Navigobius found in the Philippines  which extends the range of this eye-popping genus by more than a thousand miles. The Navigobius genus was just created less than five years ago to describe the first and only…

Pintail and Lunate fairy wrasses have breathtaking nuptial colors

Enough has been said and blogged about the lunate and pintail fairy wrasse – Cirrhilabrus cf lunatus & C. cf. lanceolatus already. Having made a meteoric appearance in 2013, we’re still enjoying the availability of these species that the Philippines has to offer.…

Countdown to 2015 with BlueHarbor’s immaculate rare fish calendar

2013 was such a fantastic year for rare fish and aquarium tidbits and we’re so stoked to see what 2014 will bring. Here’s a fun way to countdown 2014, and what better way than with BlueHarbor’s splendid calendar. In typical…

Reef Builder’s recap on 2013’s most alluring hybrids

We wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t cover any hybrids this year, and like the hardworking elves at Santa’s factory, we made sure we did it with glitter and bow ribbons. This year we had our fair share…

Tour de BlueHarbor – Part 2. Fixing a deepwater malady

This is the second and final installment to the two part BlueHarbor tour visit. In this article, we visit one of Koji’s customers with perhaps the biggest and most impressive collection of deepwater fish ever. Rare fish aficionados, you do…