Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

[specvjeff]

I believe this fish has already been identified in a prior post but just in case.

Jeff
SDMAS President
Sent from my Droid RAZR Maxx using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[evolved]

Yup, juvenile Halichoeres marginatus (Dusky Wrasse).

 

[specvjeff]

Thanks. That is what I thought but there was some debate about it. Thanks for the reply!

Jeff Saurwein
SDMAS President
Sent from my Droid RAZR MAXX using Tapatalk 2

 

[el richie]

Was purchased as whipfin but looks nothing like the ones I've seen before

 

[KoleTang]

There's a fine line here.

Seems as good of a time as any to cover it.

Male/Female solorensis:

As opposed to an Indonesian variant of C. cyanopleura:

Hm. Then can you help me ID this? The LFS owner called it female solorensis. But it seems to have more color than those pics. Initial Phase Male possibly?

 

[evolved]

Was purchased as whipfin but looks nothing like the ones I've seen before

A closer, more focused photo would help, but from what I can see it is a C. filamentosus. Typically quite mean once mature.

Hm. Then can you help me ID this? The LFS owner called it female solorensis. But it seems to have more color than those pics. Initial Phase Male possibly?

Now we're about a cross another blurry line; ready? The female C. solorensis and C. aurantidorsalis blurry line.

Purely based on the fact the orange present on the fish in your image does not have a clear de-markation along the sides, I tend to believe female C. solorensis is correct. However, what I can't see are the length/shape of the pelvic fins, which could push the ID to C. aurantidorsalis.

 

[KoleTang]

Pelvic fins look like the bottom picture here. (Shorter and lighter colored than C. aurantidorsalis) Saltwater Aquarium Fish for Marine Reef Aquariums: Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse

Based on the fins, what you said about the color, and the fact that it is already a bit over 4" (C. aurantidorsalis are smaller, correct?) makes me think C. solorensis.

How do you tell the difference between initial male and initial female? How long do they usually take to go male when no males are present?

 

[evolved]

(C. aurantidorsalis are smaller, correct?)

Not by much really.

][/COLOR]How do you tell the difference between initial male and initial female?

Female is female, there is no initial. :) But how to determine when the female line is crossed and the sub-male path has begun is subjective and a judgement call.

How long do they usually take to go male when no males are present?

Could be a few days, could be never. There's no time frame; it's completely environmental.

There are not many hard definitions in wrasse-land. :D

 

[martinp]

f

Sorry for bad photo quality what kind of wrasse is he If u can tell. He has green red and blue in him.

 

[evolved]

Thalassoma lunare

 

[martinp]

What is the common name for it.

 

[evolved]

Let me google that for you

 

[mnat]

Here is one for the wrasse lovers. Let's see if we can get an id. This is a pic from the LFS when it first arrived and obviously has it stressed patterns out which should make this more fun.

 

[Doom616]

Oooooo pretty.

 

[evolved]

C. roseafascia

I moved your post to the appropriate thread. :)

 

[mnat]

C. roseafascia

I moved your post to the appropriate thread. :)

Close but no cigar. I will get some better pics when he is moved to the display.

 

[evolved]

The only other possibility (C. lanceolatus) would require the pelvic fins to be visible.

The dark spot on the pelvic fins is at the anterior in C. lanceolatus, and the posterior in C. roseafascia.

Without seeing the markings on the pelvic fins, it is not possible to make this distinction on a sub-adult.

Sidenote: I really need to get my series back online; I have a great graphic I created to help in this particular distinction I could link to right now.

 

[mnat]

Again very close. Cf lanceolatus

 

[evolved]

I'm sorry, but it is certainly not.

 

[KoleTang]

I wish I could use will-power to transform my wrasses into ultra rare fish. :hammer:

Evolved, what is the most obtainable (in comparison) wrasse with a "Pin-shaped" caudal fin?