Help ID this Fairy Wrasse please

Mikey Donuts

Premium Member
This Fairy Wrasse was sold to me as a female Solar Fairy. A friend of mine has the same wrasse and it was sold to him as a Blue Headed Fairy. I've never seen a pic of either of our wrasses online and I was wondering if anyone could provide an ID. The overall length of the fish is three inches or so.
Thanks in advance,
Mike

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i don't think that one is a female solorensis if there was a pic of it close up i could tell better but i think it is a bluesided fairy
 
Hmmm, looks like it can go either way. Deanos, are you sure it's a female Solar? I've never seen a pic...

KB, it does look like the blue sided however the friend of mine has a blue sided (or what was sold to him as a blue-sided) and one of these as well and they don't look anything alike.

Anyone else?

Edit:
Wrasseguy, just saw your post. The fish is a much more uniform purple than the pics of the blue-sideds I've seen. What does a female solar look like?
 
I'm pretty sure that is a blue sided. Would like to see a pic of your friends so called blue sided, His is probably not a blue sided even though it was sold to him as one
 
I go this one from LFS. It was called "Blue Headed Fairy Wrasse"

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This is not my pic but this fish is very much like my "Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse"

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I don't know if these common names are correct nor do I care I just would like to know the scientific names.

Thanks
Ed
 
+ for the blue sided fairy wrasse scientific name Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura
you can see him on the left side - not a great pic but what i can access from work :)
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Ok, So are the blue sided and yellow flank the same fish? Because i have the blue sided which is smaller and also a bigger yellow flank.
 
not the same thing..but the c. lyukyuensis, cyanopleura c. solorensis, luteovittatus, c. randalli..i think even the orangeback c. aurantidorsalis are closely related or in the same complex..i have a hard time telling some of them apart ..i hope Hiroyuki Tanaka sees this thread i am sure he could id it and could give better info on these
 
I've been looking at getting a wrasse to round out my fish stock and after sifting through all kinds of pictures, you 100% need to have the scientific name to properly identify the fish. It seems like there's ten different color variations for each individual species.
 
I have the same guy for a couple of months. Definately same as Mike's but not sure if they are Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura because in some photos C. cyanopleura has blue head and is some other it has red. Mine and Mike's have red heads. I have seen around the net. Same body shape but much different coloration.

Btw, mine is quite aggressive towards other fish like chromis or any other new addition. He is also a very aggressive eater and likes to eat unhealthy zoanthids.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12541384#post12541384 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mccullrd
Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse
(Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura)

Here's mine
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This is correct, Ruby Head Fairy Wrasse.

I had one for about a year and it jumped. Was a great little fish.
 
Have you ever observed this guy eating any corals? Because I have seen mine eat zoanthids and my beloved sps corals!
 
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