Here is a new comer from Cebu Island, the Philippines.
It is Cirrhilabrus roseafascia, Randall & Lubbock, 1982. Dr. John Randall calles it the Red-stripe Wrasse, and I would call it the Rose-band Fairy Wrasse. It reaches over 20 cm and is the largest member of the genus Cirrhilabrus.
This species ranges western Pacific; New Caledonia (type locality), Palau, Samoa, Fiji and the Philippines (Cebu). The description was made with a single specimen, 46.3mm SL, of an undetermined sex, collected at the depth of 100 meters in Bulari Pass off New Caledonia.
It has not been known from any locality until recently but avid divers who can dive deep (some 70-100 meters) found and photographed it at various localities. I could get the first specimen of a young male or a large female last year and since then it entered aquarium trade on rare occasion. I got two larger specimens of 15 & 16 cm long males these two months and a juvenile, 4cm last month.
Here are some shots of them; they are quite peaceful in the aquarium and doing well. Males have a long tail and a rosy streak on the back, and juveniles possess a small black spot on caudal peduncle.
It is very similar and closely related to C. lanceolatus from southern Japan.
It is Cirrhilabrus roseafascia, Randall & Lubbock, 1982. Dr. John Randall calles it the Red-stripe Wrasse, and I would call it the Rose-band Fairy Wrasse. It reaches over 20 cm and is the largest member of the genus Cirrhilabrus.
This species ranges western Pacific; New Caledonia (type locality), Palau, Samoa, Fiji and the Philippines (Cebu). The description was made with a single specimen, 46.3mm SL, of an undetermined sex, collected at the depth of 100 meters in Bulari Pass off New Caledonia.
It has not been known from any locality until recently but avid divers who can dive deep (some 70-100 meters) found and photographed it at various localities. I could get the first specimen of a young male or a large female last year and since then it entered aquarium trade on rare occasion. I got two larger specimens of 15 & 16 cm long males these two months and a juvenile, 4cm last month.
Here are some shots of them; they are quite peaceful in the aquarium and doing well. Males have a long tail and a rosy streak on the back, and juveniles possess a small black spot on caudal peduncle.
It is very similar and closely related to C. lanceolatus from southern Japan.
) that has brough a few in thus far.
