Yet another wrasse id
- Thread starter starkii
- Start date
Male Cirrhilabrus naokoae. Named after Dr. Hiroyuki Tanaka's wife, naoko. interestingly, this species and its holotype was described from specimens obtained via aquarium trade and not from the wild. one of the first pieces showed up in hong kong where my friend jacky wong bought it and sent it to dr tanaka.
Yes a member of the Rubriventralis complex where joanallenae is also from. a highly confusing group with various yet to be named species.
Yes a member of the Rubriventralis complex where joanallenae is also from. a highly confusing group with various yet to be named species.
This one's really obvious. 100% Naoko male. The yellow stripe is obvious. I can see if there's confusion with the other rubriventralis complex but not with naoko. It's very distinctive.
The fins can go longer than those in the photos btw. This male isn't terminal yet. And naoko will never arrive with the correct ID from source collectors. Having unboxed numerous specimens direct from Indonesia, I'm quite sure on that. In fact almost all cirrhilabrus will come either wrongly named or listed as assorted wrasses from Indonesia.
Naoko was described before 2011. The official year is on the pdf or fish base.
The fins can go longer than those in the photos btw. This male isn't terminal yet. And naoko will never arrive with the correct ID from source collectors. Having unboxed numerous specimens direct from Indonesia, I'm quite sure on that. In fact almost all cirrhilabrus will come either wrongly named or listed as assorted wrasses from Indonesia.
Naoko was described before 2011. The official year is on the pdf or fish base.
evolved
Wrasse Nut
Exactly.
And this one is very hungry (skinny) too.
I don't see it lasting much longer...
eatbreakfast
New member
The only other fairy it could be is Cirrhilabrus sp 3, the kenya fairy wrasse, which also has the yellow stripe, but i do believe that the fish pictured above is naoke.
evolved
Wrasse Nut
No; Kenya/Kwazulu does not have a distinct margin between the red/yellow like naoko does. Also the fins on Kenya/Kwazulu are not solid black.
eatbreakfast
New member
Kwazulu is cirrhilabrus sp 2, kenyan is cirrhilabrus sp 3. You are correct in your statements about kwazulu. But the kenyan, or cirrhilabrus sp 3 does have the yellow stripe, but the available photos of it are of an age where it could still be transitioning and the margin could become more distinct. It also has black fins. That being said i do believe the fish in question in this post is indeed a naoke.
evolved
Wrasse Nut
The separation of Kenya/Kwazulu is quite debatable. Sure, Kuiter did it but he's also been known as a "splitter" so-to-speak. Other individuals (Kevin Kohen being one) have since said they are likely the same species, and I agree with them.
A thread on that: www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2225652
A thread on that: www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2225652
eatbreakfast
New member
If you read that thread you will also see that kevin kohen believes that both are the same spexies as rubriventralis. And whether you believe they are the same species or not, the physical attributes, such as color and pattern are different enough between the varieties, as to be able to visually differentiate rubriventralis, sp.2, and sp. 3.
All i did was point out that sp. 3 has a yellow margin and black fins. If it is its own species someday, fine, if it is the same as sp. 2 and rubriventralis, fine. All im saying is there are visible diffeences.
All i did was point out that sp. 3 has a yellow margin and black fins. If it is its own species someday, fine, if it is the same as sp. 2 and rubriventralis, fine. All im saying is there are visible diffeences.
