wrasse ID?

Q

qasamm

Registered Member
Aug 2, 2003
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Baltimore, MD
www.joy-stick.net
I have this beautiful horizontally striped red wrasse but know little about it. It was ~6" 4 months ago when I got it and has added another 2 inches to its length. He is very jumpy and hard to photograph.

He has a red body with blue horizontal stripes that "break" about half way back his body. He eats like a pig and is teritorial as expected. I'd like to know more about him and would appreciate anything I can follow up on.

Sam

redstripe.jpg
 
Neither seem to be in the right size range, but it looks like either a

Secretive/Striated Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus evanidus) or a

Snooty Maori Wrasse (Cheilinus oxycephalus).

I can't see the face that well, but Googling both of these may lead you to a conclusion or draw info on similar species. It definitely looks to be a member of the Cheilinus group of genera.
 
I originally thought it was an 8-line but it is an overall deep red and it has a shorter snout than any 8-line I have ever seen. It is also too big to be an 8-line from what I have read.

redstripe2.jpg
 
I think that this might be an Eightline Flasher(Paracheilinus octotaenia), not sure but it looks like the one in my book.
 
My book has it looking a little more washed-out than the intense red of the photo, but I think that sounds like a good ID, lebloom...are we looking at the Cheilinus and related species, then?
 
I would say if it is any of the Cheilinus species it would have to be Oxycheilinus digrammus. To me it looks kinda like a Pseudo or Dottyback but 8 inches is a bit big. Look into those too. The fish in question doesn't have a beak or teeth like most standard large wrasses especially the Cheilinus genus (I have a Red Breasted Wrasse-Cheilinus fasciatus-and he has a pointed snout that comes to a sharp beak, yours has more of a flat rounded mouth that is more typical of Dottybacks). I may be way out in left field but that is what I think.
 
Definitely a dottyback, most likely genus Labracinus, but it looks more like L. cyclophthalmus than L. melanotaenia IMO. It's about maxed out at 8" and will positively beat the crap out of any docile fish you add, so pick tankmates carefully.

labracinus_cyclophthalmusaq.jpg
 
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