Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

[evolved]

Better picture from my SLR rather than my phone. Does this help any in ID this wrasse?

Yeah, temminckii for sure.

 

[ascheff]

Any chance of a positive ID from this photo alone, please? Was incorrectly labeled (clearly) as Timorensis.

Comes from Sri Lanka / Western Indian Ocean / Maldives.

H. chrysotaenia?

I'm almost sure, but not seeing the saddles

 

[eatbreakfast]

Any chance of a positive ID from this photo alone, please? Was incorrectly labeled (clearly) as Timorensis.

Comes from Sri Lanka / Western Indian Ocean / Maldives.

H. chrysotaenia?

I'm almost sure, but not seeing the saddles

Halichoeres argus.

 

[ascheff]

Halichoeres argus.

Thank you.

The reefs.com article I was looking at only said western pacific for argus, so I dismissed it. Looking at fishbase now, I see Sri Lanka in the distribution, all the way to Australia, so quite a broad range.

 

[evolved]

argus used to pop up occasionally with some regularity, but it's been at least 4 years since collection reduced significantly for whatever reason.

 

[eatbreakfast]

argus used to pop up occasionally with some regularity, but it's been at least 4 years since collection reduced significantly for whatever reason.

They come in mislabeled on direct shipments. Sometimes listed as melanurus or seagrass or assorted.

 

[evolved]

They come in mislabeled on direct shipments. Sometimes listed as melanurus or seagrass or assorted.

My (possibly naive) thinking is that they should be easier to collect, being a shallow species. But I could see the case that collecting with a slurp gun would be the only easy way, and then that's not a fast process.

 

[ascheff]

Halichoeres argus.

Is the 12cm (4.7") TL max size listed on fishbase accurate?

 

[evolved]

Is the 12cm (4.7") TL max size listed on fishbase accurate?

Yeah, 5" is about right.

 

[Seasidedeb]

View attachment 1053833 View attachment 1053832 Hi,
I will be bringing this wrasse home soon. It is listed as a Christmas wrasse. Can anyone tell me if this is H. Ornatissimus or H. Claudia?

 

[saltyhog]

Definitely not H. claudia. I think it's actually H. biocellatus. I'm sure Hunter or TJ can tell us for sure from this picture.

 

[evolved]

View attachment 1053833 View attachment 1053832 Hi,
I will be bringing this wrasse home soon. It is listed as a Christmas wrasse. Can anyone tell me if this is H. Ornatissimus or H. Claudia?

Neither. :)
saltyhog has it - that's H. biocellatus.

 

[Seasidedeb]

Thank you both so much. I appreciate it!

 

[saltyhog]

Thank you both so much. I appreciate it!

Now you know why we hate common names....it's not just to be snobby. There are several wrasses that go by the common name of Christmas wrasse and they vary widely in their demeanor and suitability for wrasse community homes. H. claudia would have been a win...I think they are beautiful and mine was mild mannered and did not bother inverts. H. ornatissimus would have been a lose....they can be pretty aggressive to other wrasses I think. The one you have is a win.....usually mild mannered and hardy. They do undergo some of the most drastic color changes though. Mine got so dark as to look black when it transitioned from female to terminal male.

When I acquired ...pretty much like yours.

As a terminal male. Taken 16 months later.

And a decent picture of my H. claudia.

 

[Seasidedeb]

Now you know why we hate common names....it's not just to be snobby. There are several wrasses that go by the common name of Christmas wrasse and they vary widely in their demeanor and suitability for wrasse community homes. H. claudia would have been a win...I think they are beautiful and mine was mild mannered and did not bother inverts. H. ornatissimus would have been a lose....they can be pretty aggressive to other wrasses I think. The one you have is a win.....usually mild mannered and hardy. They do undergo some of the most drastic color changes though. Mine got so dark as to look black when it transitioned from female to terminal male.

When I acquired ...pretty much like yours.

As a terminal male. Taken 16 months later.

And a decent picture of my H. claudia.

Yes definitely. That's why I was asking. I read Hunters wrasse article and was wanting to confirm it wasn't H. Ornatissimus because of it. Yours are beautiful btw. That is a drastic color change! He is beautiful. I didn't realize they hot that dark!

 

[Teemingtank]

Purchased as a “red margin fairy wrasse, male”

 

[evolved]

Purchased as a “red margin fairy wrasse, male”

C. pylei

 

[Teemingtank]

C. pylei

Thanks again!

 

[saltyhog]

C. roseafacia? Transitional male?

 

[eatbreakfast]

C. roseafacia? Transitional male?

Yes, but just barely transitioning.