CF Lunatus or Lunatus JPN?

nashvillian · Oct 23, 2022

Hey'all,

Recently got this gem. Wondering which variant i have, as the gold flank is highly pronounced, but the rest of the pattern leans more towards cf. The black is very vivid with light blue iridescence when moving. leaning toward the cf, very vibrant fish though.

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i cant think · Oct 23, 2022

nashvillian said:
Hey'all,

Recently got this gem. Wondering which variant i have, as the gold flank is highly pronounced, but the rest of the pattern leans more towards cf. The black is very vivid with light blue iridescence when moving. leaning toward the cf, very vibrant fish though.

View attachment 2873334

To me I’d say that’s a hybrid. Cirrhilabrus lunatus is rather known to hybridise with a close cousin - Cirrhilabrus isosceles.

nereefpat · Oct 23, 2022

@SaltyT may know.

If not, you can send an email to thewrasseguy at gmail dot com.

SaltyT · Oct 24, 2022

That's the true Cirrhilabrus lunatus, not the cf. lunatus. The thick yellow stripe is a trait of C. lunatus.

i cant think · Oct 24, 2022

SaltyT said:
That's the true Cirrhilabrus lunatus, not the cf. lunatus. The thick yellow stripe is a trait of C. lunatus.

This. I’ve now been able to actually look at the photo (Yesterday it was just a quick glance) and it’s definitely not a hybrid. It’s the true lunatus which I’ve not actually seen many of in captivity.