Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

evolved · May 13, 2020

SebastianReefer said:
I have no idea what part of the world it came from I got him with a tank and livestock I bought

Given your proximity to the Caribbean, T. bifasciatum would be more readily available in your local markets.

SebastianReefer said:
More pics from today I tried to get the fin in there so you could see the color

It wasn't a matter of your pictures that gave me a bit of uncertainty, just the transitional nature of its development. But I'll wager $100 on T. bifasciatum. Time will make it more clear. :)

SebastianReefer · May 13, 2020

evolved said:
Given your proximity to the Caribbean, T. bifasciatum would be more readily available in your local markets.

It wasn't a matter of your pictures that gave me a bit of uncertainty, just the transitional nature of its development. But I'll wager $100 on T. bifasciatum. Time will make it more clear. :)

Thanks I have been wondering for a while what type he was

OrionN · May 15, 2020

Is this fish a clear H. melanurus? I asked because she is about 5 inches, already larger than the max size listed by a variety of sources. And she is not, IMO, a terminal male yet. I am not even sure that she is a initial male. I saw 2 terminal male Malenurus at the LFS yesterday. Both are bright male even with the black tail edge, but both only about 2.5-3 inches. They seem petite in comparison to my female Melanurus.
Did I miss-ID this fish? Is she not a H. melanurus at all?
TIA

evolved · May 15, 2020

OrionN said:
Is this fish a clear H. melanurus? I asked because she is about 5 inches, already larger than the max size listed by a variety of sources. And she is not, IMO, a terminal male yet. I am not even sure that she is a initial male. I saw 2 terminal male Malenurus at the LFS yesterday. Both are bright male even with the black tail edge, but both only about 2.5-3 inches. They seem petite in comparison to my female Melanurus.
Did I miss-ID this fish? Is she not a H. melanurus at all?
TIA

This one puzzles me more every time I see it! Which makes this quite fun for me, I might add. :)

I'm not 100% sure at all on it anymore, and there's a part of me that's torn on thinking it might be a large female H. leucurus. And I can't find a great photo of a large female of the species, but there are some signs here that start to make me think in that direction. And it gets bigger than melanurus, so that could jive as well.

My biggest hangup is the markings on the gill plates, which still point more towards melanurus. Yet, the tail is starting to point towards leucurus.

Fun one! Drop some new pictures in a few months. :)

OrionN · May 15, 2020

For sure I will keep you posted. Is there any reason why you don't consider Halichoeres chrysotaenia? There are times when the colors are changing due to various moods this fish does have interruptions of the horizontal lines on the caudal/dorsal area very c/w Chrysotaenia or Melanurus

evolved · May 15, 2020

OrionN said:
Is there any reason why you don't consider Halichoeres chrysotaenia?

There's a clear horizontal stripe through the caudal that made me discount it.

OrionN · May 15, 2020

I took some picture of the male and female Melanurus at the LFS. Female 2 inches male 2.5 inches. After looking at these, I no longer think my fish is a Melanurus. What it is I am not sure.

LFS Male 2.5 inches

FLS Female 2 inches

evolved · May 15, 2020

And this is the photo I could find of most developed female leucurus (Randall's pic):

OrionN · May 16, 2020

This is a reliable picture of a young H. leucurus I found on the internet. It seem to me she was never similar to the picture that I found or Randal's picture that you posted. I do keep quite a few pictures of my wrasses as they develop. I will keep take pictures of this wrasse and see how she will turn out.

My wrasse on 6/21/2018. Very small, less than 2 inches. The egg crate (frag rack) above her is standard 1/2 inch egg crate, and the PVC pipe is 1.5 inches PVC. I recalled she was only about 1.5-1.75 inch long when I first got her. Please use all the picture I posted as you see fit. You likely have resources, and communication regarding wrasse a lot more than I do. I would be grateful if you can come up with an ID of this fish.
I wonder if some of the wrasse interbreed and mine is a hybrid?

1/6/2019

10/22/2019. Post this picture for the mood dependent disruption of the horizontal pattern of the fish.

3/22/2020

3/31/2020. She is now at 5.0 inches.

OrionN · May 16, 2020

This Wrasse as given to me as a Melanurus Wrasse, which I know is wrong, and have always consider that he is a Halichoeres chrysotaenia. Am I correct? TIA.

Sorry for the dirty tank. A friend take down his tank and pile a Blue tang, Yellow tang, this wrasse and a large clown on my 65 gallon and it got badly overloaded.

evolved · May 16, 2020

OrionN said:
This Wrasse as given to me as a Melanurus Wrasse, which I know is wrong, and have always consider that he is a Halichoeres chrysotaenia. Am I correct? TIA.

Sorry for the dirty tank. A friend take down his tank and pile a Blue tang, Yellow tang, this wrasse and a large clown on my 65 gallon and it got badly overloaded.

Yes, that one is Halichoeres chrysotaenia. :)

AquaLifeStudio · May 19, 2020

What about this one? Only thing I know is that it's a flasher wrasse =) I can get more (better) pictures tomorrow.

Thanks!

-Dan

evolved · May 19, 2020

sntmods said:
What about this one? Only thing I know is that it's a flasher wrasse =) I can get more (better) pictures tomorrow.

Thanks!

-Dan

Need to see the dorsal and anal fins better.

OrionN · May 19, 2020

sntmods said:
What about this one? Only thing I know is that it's a flasher wrasse =) I can get more (better) pictures tomorrow.

Thanks!

-Dan

I bet it is a P. flavinanalis, or the Yellowfin Flasher. The anal fin seem yellow-ish and the dorsal spike is red-ish. Better picture is needed to be sure.