Can you ID this wrasse for me?

[Justin74]

It's been flashing alot, either settin territory or playing or wishing the others were wrasse's I dont know. Can someone tell me the ID so I can look up more info?

Sorry the pics are dark, it was set in sport mode so I could try and capture the markings on his dorsal if that helps at all, but the settings dont allow for too much white balance. Any help is appreciated

-Justin

 

[juaninsac]

Cirrhilabrus sp., probably rubriventralis.

 

[saltwater creep]

it looks like a blackfin flame wrasse (Cirrhilabrus condei)

 

[edsimmons]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10921644#post10921644 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by saltwater creep
it looks like a blackfin flame wrasse (Cirrhilabrus condei)

I'll 2nd that

 

[recreative]

looks very similar to my orange whip fin. love wrasses!

 

[Underwaterparadise]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10920755#post10920755 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by juaninsac
Cirrhilabrus sp., probably rubriventralis.

I am leaning toward this as well. Female

If the top strip of the dorsal fin is black (doesn't appear to be) then I would say condei. Condei's are not nearly as common and cost 3-4 times as much. This genus has been known to cross breed and until they are adults can be hard to ID at times.

 

[Justin74]

Thanks for the great responses, really appreciate it. Now I got something to run with.

-Justin

 

[edsimmons]

Justin if you get stumped try H.Tanaka (screen name) he is a wrasse expert.

 

[Justin74]

Well I looked at the females of the rubriventralis and it wasnt like that and the dark pictures made it hard to see but there's no black on fins. It also has electric purple blue etching on it's face and back with metalic blue dots in a row in the middle of it's dorsal fin. After looking I came across this which is virtually identical:

Courtesy of wetwebmedia, they have it identified as a Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis, male.

Not very much info, although from what I read they seem perfect for our reeftanks. Being collected between 2-30 meters. And are native to the Phillipines and Indonesia.

-Justin

 

[Underwaterparadise]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10922915#post10922915 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Justin74
It also has electric purple blue etching on it's face and back with metalic blue dots in a row in the middle of it's dorsal fin.

-Justin

From that description I am about 80% sure you have a rubriventralis. The red fin fairy does not have the metalic blue dots like the social fairy does IMO

 

[Justin74]

Heres a picture of a femal rubriventralis, mine just doesnt have the linear striping that the other females they have shown do.

with other variations described here:
http://64.95.130.5/Photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?ID=12781

While the rubripinnis listings they have do show ones with blue dot morphology with others listed here:
http://64.95.130.5/Photos/ThumbnailsSummary.php?ID=13042
and the female they show down below looks very similar to mine when I first got it.

I know some sources can be iffy on the net, is there a more definitive one? Ive been looking on this one:
http://64.95.130.5/identification/specieslist.cfm?famcode=362&areacode=

-Justin

 

[Underwaterparadise]

I have the fairy and rainbow wrasse book so that is my reference. Fairy and flashers are my favorite fish!!

 

[rickbirdman]

it might be a Cirrhilabrus tonozukai i bought one that looks similar.

 

[juaninsac]

I don't think your fish is a female if it's flashing.

C. rubripinnis has a very gradual vertical change from red to white along the body. The margin on C. rubriventralis is very distinct and there is often a bit of black or blue right along the edge (see below). In mature males the first ray of the dorsal fin will be elongated which is not present in C. rubripinnis.

This is C. rubriventralis...

...and C. rubripinnis.

C. condei has a mostly black dorsal fin which your fish does not appear to have.

 

[Justin74]

Ya it's definately flashing, doing loopty loos and back and forth displays.

The dots that I described on mine on the dorsal fin are much smaller and more pin point, basically you gotta look closely. The only difference I notice with mine opposed to the picture of that
C. rubripinnis is I dont see any blue along the face or pinpoints along the the dorsal fin, but what IS identical is the fading to white as you mentioned and the distinctual ventrical fin with elongated tips in fact they use this feature to help ID while the C. rubriventralis also has elongated ventrical fins and there more
feather shaped.

Looking at mine closely again last night while the lights were on I do notice orangy undertones near the snout and towards the tail, also yellowy orange speckling like the picture above. Im thinking that picture is a young male C. rubripinnis.

Another point I was thinking was the sight I was looking at the rubriventralis is collected from the Red Sea. While the rubripinnis is collected in Indo/Pac. while my fish was brought in with a Phillipine shipment.

-Justin

 

[juaninsac]

Does your fish have a blue throat? All C. rubripinnis will have blue under their mouth just slightly forward of where the ventral fins attach to the body.

 

[Justin74]

Yes it does! I was wondering about that too!

-Justin

 

[northbay-reefer]

It is a whipfin fairy wrasses, I have one in my tank

here is what he looks like

 

[Justin74]

Man that's a great picture and beautifull wrasses, but Im not seeing what makes you say whipfin They have orangy yellow dorsal and anal fins both with elongated filaments.

-Justin

 

[juaninsac]

That's C. filamentosus. ^^^