Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

[flamez]

Is this any better I'm going to see if I can get a better one still

 

[OrionN]

Is this any better I'm going to see if I can get a better one still

It is not possible to tell if it is a H. richmondi or H. melanurus at this age. She have to grow up some more. Facial pattern, coloration and tail pattern is the key to the ID which is not apparent right now. If you know where she come from, then this can be the source of the correct ID, not the look.
I run into the same problem when I try t ID my wrasse.
Initial picture about 2 years ago (06/2018)

6 months ago (10/2019)
I can now ID her as a female H. melanurus, but not possible to ID before, like your wrasse.

 

[evolved]

Is this any better I'm going to see if I can get a better one still

Not yet still - it's the pattern on the face (gill plates) that need to be scrutinized.

It is not possible to tell if it is a H. richmondi or H. melanurus at this age.

Respectfully, that's incorrect.

 

[flamez]

Not yet still - it's the pattern on the face (gill plates) that need to be scrutinized.

Respectfully, that's incorrect.

OK I'm gonna get another one so you want the face right

 

[evolved]

you want the face right

Correct :)

 

[flamez]

Correct :)

OK this is the best I can do

 

[OrionN]

As I said before, the different between the two species is the pattern of the marking of the face, the tail and the pattern of the lines, how it is interrupted. All of these characteristic changes a lot with age.
Out of interested, I have be research for the last 2 years on this differences but not able to come up with reliable information between these two species as a youngster.
@evolved knows a lot more about wrasses than I am, very likely that he can tell the differences at an earlier age.

BTW, you need a clear picture of the face in profile so we can see the pattern. Straight on as the last picture is unlikely to be helpful.

 

[evolved]

OK this is the best I can do

That's Halichoeres melanurus.

 

[evolved]

@evolved knows a lot more about wrasses than I am, very likely that he can tell the differences at an earlier age.

It's not too bad...

The skeletal shape of the head is an easy difference, if you know how to spot it. The more fool-proof way is the pattern between the mouth and eye. A comparison of two females at a similar size below.

Here's H. melanurus; note the circled region. There's a chartreuse band present between the mouth/eye:

Compared to H. richmondi; the same circled region. There's a bolder iridescent stripe from the upper jaw that decreases in width below the eye:

And you can also see the skeletal shape of the head being different in that comparison too, but that's subtle if you don't know the difference.

 

[nereefpat]

Good stuff, guys.

@evolved , I'm seeing the horizontal stripes on the anal fin of melanurus. Is that a giveaway?

 

[etan714]

This is Big Red..He is about 5 inches long. Fairly pleasant, not to bossy. Lives in a 125 gallon with a Rosy Marginned and a Pintail wrasse, possum wrasse, copperband, 5 banggais, a bicolored blenny, 3 ocellaris clowns and a red headed goby.

 

[flamez]

That's Halichoeres melanurus.

ok thanks

 

[evolved]

Good stuff, guys.

@evolved , I'm seeing the horizontal stripes on the anal fin of melanurus. Is that a giveaway?

In that comparison, sure. But it gets a bit more muddy when melanurus is smaller than that comparison, as the tail is more translucent. I always judge by the head - the wide chartreuse stripe is pretty easy to see.

This is Big Red..He is about 5 inches long. Fairly pleasant, not to bossy. Lives in a 125 gallon with a Rosy Marginned and a Pintail wrasse, possum wrasse, copperband, 5 banggais, a bicolored blenny, 3 ocellaris clowns and a red headed goby.

That's C. rubripinnis.

ok thanks

Of course!

 

[OrionN]

It's not too bad...

The skeletal shape of the head is an easy difference, if you know how to spot it. The more fool-proof way is the pattern between the mouth and eye. A comparison of two females at a similar size below.

Here's H. melanurus; note the circled region. There's a chartreuse band present between the mouth/eye:

Compared to H. richmondi; the same circled region. There's a bolder iridescent stripe from the upper jaw that decreases in width below the eye:

And you can also see the skeletal shape of the head being different in that comparison too, but that's subtle if you don't know the difference.

Thanks for this.
Now I can ID them at a young age also.
Now I can clearly ID my baby wrasse as a H. melanurus from the earliest picture 2 years ago.

 

[evolved]

Now I can clearly ID my baby wrasse as a H. melanurus from the earliest picture 2 years ago.

Yup; chartreuse stripe was always present. ;)

 

[etan714]

Thanks.. his body is super red with hints of orange.. different from a lot of the photos I have seen

 

[Zionas]

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

Does anyone recognise the top species, sorry if its not a wrasse, it just looks very wrasse like and idk what it is.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Does anyone recognise the top species, sorry if its not a wrasse, it just looks very wrasse like and idk what it is.

Coris hewetti. Its endemic to the Marqueses Islands.

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

Coris hewetti. Its endemic to the Marqueses Islands.

Thank you very much, very cool wrasse. Is it ever collected in the hobby or is collection restricted there. Not interested in a coris wrasse, but just curious.