Identify my fairy wrasse

J

jafoca

New member
I got this little guy from a LFS. He was labled a misc. fairy wrasse, and that is what the LFS got him as. I can not find a matching picture in any references I have found, so was wondering if maybe one of you all had seen this before. He/she is mild mannered and seems quite happy in my tank. I would istimate him to be 2" long.

IMG_06461.jpg
 
that is a lubbocks or tricolor looks the same as mine take a look in my gallery. and i have seen mine flash 2 times even though i have no others in my tank. the 2 lines are from a certain region others dont have the lines.
 
Female Lubbock's, no question - page 826 of Baensch's Marine Atlas 1 states: "While the male is primarily red, the female is decorated with two burgundy colored striations. the first runs along the hard-rayed section of the dorsal fin, and the second runs to the caudal peduncle in two segments of different length. This second line runs one scale width under the first and begins where the first terminates." Page 827 shows a picture of the female, looks identical to your fish.

I have a male C. lubbocki, very nice fish. They're easygoing, hardy and eat just about anything.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7299252#post7299252 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pyroskennels
that is a lubbocks or tricolor looks the same as mine take a look in my gallery. and i have seen mine flash 2 times even though i have no others in my tank. the 2 lines are from a certain region others dont have the lines.
Click to expand...
Could we not use Tricolor? I've seen lubbocks (only recently), solorensis, and about 8 other wrasses referred to as "Tricolor" wrasses.


Its a lubbocks.


As to male or femal, as someone said, the lines are a regional variant. Blinky, Baensh is out of date on this. I think theres one regional variant where the lines show sex, but theres another one where all the fish have the lines, so its not a reliable characteristic.
 
It's a male Lubbocks according to Kuiter's fairy wrasse book. I'm sure Dr. Tanaka or Bronco will chime in soon to verify.
 
RichConley - The book was written in 1994, so I'm not surprised if it's out of date :)

I agree with not calling them 'tricolor', it's confusing. I prefer to refer to these guys as Lubbock's because their scientific name is Cirrhilabrus lubbocki; I figure the person who first discovered them deserves the recognition ;)
 
Most of the female C. lubbocki that I have seen lack a stripe pattern altogether.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7302586#post7302586 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ACBlinky

I agree with not calling them 'tricolor', it's confusing. I prefer to refer to these guys as Lubbock's because their scientific name is Cirrhilabrus lubbocki; I figure the person who first discovered them deserves the recognition ;)
Click to expand...

So now we can give credit where credit is due? That means we can call Scott's fairy wrasse Scotts' fairy wrasse, seeing as how it was discovered by more than one "Scott" (Cirrhilabrus scottorum).;)
 
I noticed this thread just now and let me reply.

It is a male form of Cirrhilabrus lubbocki. The striped pattern mainly comes from the Philippines, Malaysia and Palau. Those without stripes are mainly found in Indonesia. Both types occur in these four localities, but in Okinawa the striped pattern male has been docuemted.

Females and juveniles are entirely red with whitish abdomen, and small specimens have a black spot on upper part of caudal peduncle.

It is very close to C. flavidorsalis, especially females 8and juvs) cannot be told superficially. Baensch & Debelius' book is an excellent guide but now it is older to know accurate names; there are several misidetifications, or yet unnamed ones in the year of publication. Kuiter's wrasse book (2002) seems the best now, but even it includes some errors.
 
Wow... I had no idea, this is really interesting! I posted months ago asking for a definitive ID on my fairy wrasse, and was told that he's a male Lubbock's. Soon after, I got the Baensch atlas and confirmed it. Now I'm not sure! Not trying to hijack, I imagine others here are curious too; here are some pics (sorry they're blurry, he's fast!), is my fish male or female?

2_wrasse.jpg


WrasseID.jpg
 
A young male just developing and changing into female form.

Again, the dorsal fin is already yellowish and it cannot be female; females are entirely red with reddish dorsal fin that is the same with body in coloration. Females cannot change to males over a night in any species.
 
I replied as shown below,

"A young male just developing and changing into female form."

But add to this sentence that follows; "or from female form".

The young males possess an ability to return to the female form in case there are more males of the same species in the same tank. I have an experience a male (some 5cm) of C. sanguineus lost its red band on side to a female coloration. I suspect that very big mature males cannot go back to females.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7311084#post7311084 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by H.Tanaka
just dave,
C. lubbocki does not occur in the Marshalls. Any pic ?
Click to expand...

So the books say but what I get from them looks like that Lubbocks variant.

I got two more in today, I'll get some pics and send 'em to you.

I get some other fish from the Marshalls that are not referenced as being from there as well.

I even asked if the Luboocks I was receiving had been collected from the Marshall's.
I just called and asked again just to be sure. We'll see when he calls back.

I was only aware of the Rhomboids, Gold Bar, Johnson's, and Girdled as being the only fairy wrasses known from that area.

With the exception of the Johnson's , I've had them all and had them all in various stages and it's not one of those.
 
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just dave,

Thank you for the detailed comment. I am very interested in its distribution; C. lubbocki occurs also in Palau and if it was collected in the Marshalls it should be the first record from there. Who collected it ? Brian?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7312313#post7312313 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by H.Tanaka
just dave,

Thank you for the detailed comment. I am very interested in its distribution; C. lubbocki occurs also in Palau and if it was collected in the Marshalls it should be the first record from there. Who collected it ? Brian?
Click to expand...

They came from Pacific Kevco and they are in Majaro.

I also get C. rhomboidalis, C. luteovittatus, and C. balteatus from them.

Like I said I had two arrive today, though one was a DOA. I think I still have some from a prior shipment. I'll get pictures of live specimens as well as the dead one.
 
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