Filamented Flasher wrasse? Females?

[therman]

I picked up a gorgeous male flasher wrasse this week. It was shipped as a carpenter's, but it has the lunate (elongated top and bottom rays) caudal fin of a filamented. Is there any other species that has a caudal fin like this?

Secondly, what does a female filamented flasher look like? I presume they are smaller than males, but I've read they can have somewhat elongated dorsal rays too. Do they also have the lunate tail? Any photos or links to pics or ID help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks!
Tim

 

[LemonLemon]

very small filamented flasher wrasses females are red overall with faint stripes. their eyes have a little white mark.

the tails are not lunated and they do not have dorsal filaments.

the dorsal filaments only start to develop when they turn male. very young males and transitioning females have tiny filaments.

the bad thing is, many juvenile flasher wrasess look almost identical. very difficult to discern.

 

[therman]

Hmmm...it sounds like the odds of getting a female are rather low if they don't exhibit any of the characteristics of the males that distinguish them from the other species.

 

[LemonLemon]

Hmmm...it sounds like the odds of getting a female are rather low if they don't exhibit any of the characteristics of the males that distinguish them from the other species.

yes. very difficult to obtain. not only are they very hard to distinguish from the other female flashers, they are very seldom offered because of their unpopularity. (in my country at least)

 

[fish_dave]

Female filament flashers are shipped out of the Solomon Islands regularly. If the receiving company keeps them seperate from other female flasher wrasse you could be assured of getting female filaments. They are available from a few of the wholesale distributors in Los Angeles.

Dave