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 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 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,…

Unusual flasher wrasse from the Komodo Islands may turn out to be a new species

Flasher wrasses are ubiquitously distributed around Indian and Pacific Oceans. With their bright colors, fondness of relatively shallow depths and living in large congregations, it’s not difficult to spot them in the wild and hence, new species are not often…

Walking cat shark is just one of many unique species found in Raja Ampat and the Bird’s Head Peninsula.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHJWqYw3IIM[/youtube] The walking cat shark of Raja Ampat was recently discovered in 2006 and is just one of many incredible species found in this hotspot for diversity. From the video above it is clear where the shark gets its name…

Paracheilinus togeanensis flasher wrasse and its hybrids are a spectacular bunch

Pictured above is a really gorgeous hybrid between Paracheilinus togeanensis and P. filamentosus. While P. filamentosus is a staple and a widely known species in the trade, P. togeanensis (Togean flasher wrasse)is not. The Togean flasher wrasse is a species…

Paracheilinus nursalim flasher wrasses from New Guinea

Paracheilinus nursalim is one of the new species of flasher wrasses from New Guinea which is still completely unknown in the aquarium world. Only described in 2008, both Paracheilinus nursalimwas discovered on the biological expedition to the Bird’s Head Peninsula…

Paracheilinus piscilineatus, the Mauritius flasher wrasse pops up at Yadokariya

Paracheilinus piscilineatus, the Mauritius flasher wrasse, is an interesting species of wrasse which we’ve yet to ever see in person. Found only in the tiny biogeographic zone of Mauritius, P. piscilineatus is a regionally endemic wrasse species that was recently…