Unusual Cirrhilabrus species

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

This is a 7cm young male of Cirrhilabrus species from Cebu, the Philippines. It is redish brwon on upper side, and white ventrally, with two prominent black areas centrally. A black band on dorsal and anal fins, and a black spot on pectoral-fin base.

It was sold as Cirrhilabrus katherinae but the features seems a link those of C. temminckii and C. katherinae. It has shorter pelvic fins so I think that it is still a young male (juveniles and females have short ones in any member of the genus).

I will show photos of typical and unusual specimens of these two close relatives next time for comparison.

 

[Len]

Hmmmm. Not sure if you classify this as a variant, an undescribed species, or a hybrid (do these exist for Cirrhilabrus?). Cool fish in any event

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

Thanks, LEN.

Yes, it may be a variant but I am not sure to which it is belonging. The black spot on pectoral-fin base is evident, and it may be 'closer' to C. katherinae. Probably not a hybrid of these.

Here is a shot of a male from the Philippines, taken by Dr. Randall. The coloration is very similar to each other. This specimen is shown as Cirrhilabrus species in the US Fish Base. My specimen also comes from Cebu.

Two similarly colored individuals could form two different groups; one from southern Japan to Malaysia and Indonesia, and another from around the Philippines. also those from Western Australia may be the third group.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

This is the male of Cirrhilabrus temminckii, photographed in Izu, southern Japan. It is the commonest of Cirrhilabrus in southern Japan, and an aggregation of hundreds specimens can be seen in a shallower water around Izu Peninsula, just southwest of Tokyo.

It was photographed by Dr. John E. Randall.

Note that it does not have prominent blue streaks on side and a faint dark spot on pectoral-fin base.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

A holotype of Cirrhilabrus katherinae, male from Guam. Photographed by John E. Randall.

Very similar to C. temminckii, but it has a prominent dark spot on pectoral-fin base. Males have a greenish back when they are alive. The species ranges southern Japan, and Mariana Islans to Palau and Taiwan, and possibly the Philippines. It is very closely related to C. temminckii.

The specimen I got (shown first) resembles both species.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

The male is 12 cm C. temminckii, from Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is reddish brown on upper side and white ventrally. There are two greenish streaks on side and a dark area in center of body.

The pelvic fins are extermely long and also a black spot at the base of pectoral fin. The streaks will turn blue when it excites.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

It is an 8 cm long male from Sulawesi, in display. The coloration of body and fins became more vivid, and the streaks just turned blue; it is popularly called the Blue-stripe Fairy Wrasse.

Such specimens will appear in market on occasion and do not demand high prices.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

This is a male of Cirrhilabrus temminckii, 12 cm, from Borneo. It seems also a variant but has a darker body that has not changed to the last. It also showed blue streaks on side while displaying.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

This male has come from Vietnam, 7cm. It does not show distinct blue lines and these are faint. Its pelvic fins are still shorter and maybe it is a young male.

The species was not known from Vietnam until now, and the shipment from there rarely includes this species.

 

[Hiroyuki Tanaka]

This male of Cirrhilabrus temminckii is now displaying (underwater).

It was photographed by one of friends in Izu Peninsula, just south of Tokyo, and it is typical for displaying colors of male of C. temminckii. No remarkable blue stripes on side can be seen there.

Compare it with that of male (Blue-stripe Fairy Wrasse) from sulawesi shown above.

The 'true' temminckii is rarely available at retailers in Japan but aquarists will dive and catch it in he depth, and leisure divers can easily encounter the species in southern Japan. The most common species in the genus Cirrhilabrus there, but in the Rykyu Islands it becomes rarer and C. cyanopleura seems the most common.

The accurate distribution of the 'true' temminckii still is not detected, and at least in Izu Peninsula to the Ryukyus the 'Blue-stripe FW' co-exist with the true one.