Please help me to ID this wrasse

[Agathos]

I have had this wrasse for a few weeks now and it does really well in my mixed reef tank. It never harasses any of the other fishes and I have never seen it bother any invertebrates.

Yesterday I received a male Cirrhilabrus solorensis and the first wrasse has been chasing him around a bit. Is the first wrasse a female Cirrhilabrus solorensis? What is the normal behaviour between a male and female Cirrhilabrus solorensis, can I expect this chasing to end?

Here's a picture of what I believe and hope is a female Cirrhilabrus solorensis:

 

[BL1]

I'm thinking it looks like a Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis to me.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1378+1398&pcatid=1398

 

[sponger0]

Rudy head wrasse. I have one also. Red head, blue body with orange fins. It goes by many names though

 

[Agathos]

Three different suggestions so far, anyone else?

 

[sponger0]

Its a rubdy head wrasse. I have one in my QT right now as we speak

 

[Agathos]

Its a rubdy head wrasse. I have one in my QT right now as we speak

I just don't know. They don't look that similar and according to what I have read the Ruby Head Wrasse sleeps in the sand bed, something mine don't. Do you have a Latin name for it?

 

[Agathos]

I'm thinking it looks like a Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis to me.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+1378+1398&pcatid=1398

It does, but the orange part stretches to the head on your picture while it remains on the posterior end on my picture, so I just don't know. It depends on how much variation in pattern is common with these species, I suppose.

 

[sponger0]

Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura

http://www.toofishy.com/product.php?productid=92208&cat=825&page=1

Wrasses will either sleep in sand or rock work. My exquisite was suppose to sleep in the sand but he slept in between 2 rocks instead.

 

[Agathos]

Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura

http://www.toofishy.com/product.php?productid=92208&cat=825&page=1

Wrasses will either sleep in sand or rock work. My exquisite was suppose to sleep in the sand but he slept in between 2 rocks instead.

Thanks! It looks identical on that picture.

 

[sponger0]

Lol told ya. I spend alot of time trying to figure out what I had. I forgot to check when I bought him at the fish store. I just thought he was pretty so I bought him without thinking to check what kind.

 

[reefjunkie42]

Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura

http://www.toofishy.com/product.php?productid=92208&cat=825&page=1

Wrasses will either sleep in sand or rock work. My exquisite was suppose to sleep in the sand but he slept in between 2 rocks instead.

where did you get the idea that this fish sleeps in the sand bed? a LFS? It does not sleep in the sand , but instead makes a mucus cocoon to sleep in. All faires and flasher DO NOT sleep in the sand, at least to my knowledge.

 

[38bill]

My bet is that its a female Cirrhilabrus Sollorensis. It is not a C. cyanopleura or a C. aurantidorsalis..

 

[Agathos]

where did you get the idea that this fish sleeps in the sand bed? a LFS?

I think that was me. After the suggestion I checked a few websites to find out if it was the right ID and on one of them it said that this species sleeps in the sand bed.

 

[Agathos]

My bet is that its a female Cirrhilabrus Sollorensis. It is not a C. cyanopleura or a C. aurantidorsalis..

Okay. Why do you think so? And please tell me you've got a PhD on wrasse identification.

 

[38bill]

Here check this out. Poor photo but you will see that the Ruby Head is actually a Female C. solorensis
http://www.qualitymarine.com/Products/Fish/Wild/Wrasses/Cirrhilabrus-solorensis/Ruby-Head-/-Solorensis-Female

 

[Agathos]

Here check this out. Poor photo but you will see that the Ruby Head is actually a Female C. solorensis
http://www.qualitymarine.com/Products/Fish/Wild/Wrasses/Cirrhilabrus-solorensis/Ruby-Head-/-Solorensis-Female

So what you are saying is that this is a case of two fish really being the same species?

As I mentioned the male Cirrhilabrus solorensis was being chased by the "X fish" when I introduced it to the tank, but they seem to go fine together now. Does anyone now what the normal behaviour between a male and a female Cirrhilabrus solorensis is? I assume that if I see courtship behaviour the probability of them being the same species is larger?

 

[38bill]

Yup. The "Ruby Head" wrasse is really just a name for the female C. solorensis.

 

[Jake007]

Dito..... ruby red head... aka .... female solarensis wrasse...
I also have one of these. Awesome fish, a real pig at eating, nice coloring, good community citizen. Tenacious ampod hunter.

As far as getting along with the male, I do not know the 'normal' interaction behavior. I am also getting ready to add another wrasse to my tank. I had two previous males prior to the female and both found a way out to the floor through the smallest little crack in the rear screen. His name was houdini and he proved worthy of the name.

 

[Agathos]

Thanks guys! This is really good news since I hoped to get a pair of these wrasses. The female has also stopped chasing the male altogether and they even seem to interact slightly today. My tank is 1100 L (~ 300 gallons) so I hope everything is alright for them to behave naturally.

 

[Agathos]

Here's a new picture of my beauty:

She has developed these long fins on the underside that is displayed quite nicely in the picture above.