Variations of Cirrhilabrus scottorum from the Cook Islands

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

Scotts' Fairy Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus scottorum has so many variations, and some will be even regarded as a different species. It is closely allied to C. melanomarginatus from northwestern Pacific.

Here is a male from the Cook Islands, that has an entirely yellow dorsal fin, a red blotch on side, and a yellowish caudal fin.

The red blotch is missing in some specimens, and also the coloration of caudal fin will depedi on individuals. Large males possess a long, filamentous prolongation centrally from the caudal fin.

I hope to see your pics of a variety of the species especially in its male stage. Thank you, all.

 

[Len]

Nice specimen. I've not seen more variation with Cirrhilibarus then Scotts.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

Thank you.

This is a male, 10cm, from Australia. It has a dark area on dorsal fin, but without any red blotch on side. It is still a young male with shorter pelvic fins.

 

[Tang_Man_Montreal]

here's a picture of my Scott's while I was acclimating it to the tank and it's inhabitants...

 

[Unarce]

Beautiful fish, everyone. Can these variations be attributed to hybridization? Seems to happen often with the Cirrhilabrus genus in the wild.

 

[Len]

I actually don't know of any hybridized Cirrhilabrus. I see hybrid Centropyges often, but not wrasses.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

The third specimen is a possible hybridized specimen of Cirrhilabrus, 10 cm, male from Bali; probably C. cyanopleura x solorensis.

1 C. solorensis has a prominent black band on gill cover but C. cyanopleura does not. It is faint in the specimen.

2 The specimen has a yellowish head that cannot be seen in C. cyanopleura.

3 Black spot is on each scale in the specimen and in C. cyanopleura but in C. solorensis there is no spot on side.

Judging from its coloration it is a hybrid of the two different species. Only a few cases of crossing in Cirrhilabrus were documented, but members of Paracheilinus will hybridize among the genus on occasion; I know some 15 cases.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

It is a male, 10 cm long, Cirrhilabrus scottorum. I do now know from where it came. It has dark bands that cover a half of dorsal and anal fins, but there is no red patch on side.

 

[Anonymous]

Here is a picture of my Scott's Fairy Wrasse that is supposedly from the Cook Islands. I bought it from DFS.

Louey

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

Thank you, Louey

Here is a large female specimen, 7cm; I do not know where it came from. The pelvic fins are etill short.

Juveniles are reddish brown with several white stripes on side that I have never seen in market.