THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Diet: Zooplankton in the water column, well
above the substrate.
Reproduction and Development: Pelagic
spawners, like all wrasses.
Remarks: Like all wrasses, active diurnally,
rest nocturnally.
Frequently in moderately large groups of
mixed sexes during feeding.
Males often display to each other.
Yellowfin Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis (Labridae)
Wrasses
Distribution: Western Central Pacific:
Philippines and Indonesia.
Habitat: Found among branching corals and
rubble on protected reef slopes, at depths
12–30 m.
Appearance: Brightly colored; dichromatic
and sexually dimorphic. Colors variable
depending on mood and stage. Terminal male:
white to pinkish with red upper head; 2 wide
red bars on forebody and yellow margin on
dorsal fin. One of the smallest wrasses. Max.
size: 10 cm.
Diet: Carnivorous; various small invertebrates;
does not harm stony or soft coral polyps.
Reproduction/Development: Protogynous
hermaphrodite. Dominant female morphs
to male if dominant male is lost or dies. The
dominant male and selected female release
their gametes together in a complex mating
ritual.
Remarks: Like all fairy wrasses, this one is a
very energetic, free swimmer but never far
from a crevice to dart into. At night, it creates
a mucous cocoon masking its appearance and
scent.
Male fairy wrasses are typically more brightly
colored than the females.
Lubbock’s Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki (Labridae)
Wrasses
Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Philippines,
Celebes, and Indonesia.
Habitat: On outer reefs in coral rubble or finely
branch coral, at depths of 20-25 m.
Appearance: Found in various colors: pink,
red, and purple. Orange to yellow upper head,
dorsal fin a bright yellow in adults. Females
California Academy of Sciences
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less colorful. Max. size: 7.5 cm.
Diet: Zooplankton.
Reproduction/Development: Protogynous
hermaphrodites: in the absence of the male, the
dominant female morphs to male. Dominant
males have harems of several females. Like all
fairy wrasses, are pelagic spawners and do not
guard young.
Remarks: Fairy wrasses (Cirrhilabrus spp.)
are all sexually dichromatic (males typically
more colorful, especially during courtship)
and somewhat sexually dimorphic (males
slightly larger, with longer, more pointed
unpaired fins).
Fairy wrasses are diurnally active, wrapping
themselves in mucous cocoons at night and
walling themselves up in reef crevices to hide.
Like all wrasses, they have protrusible mouths,
with teeth of the lower jaw jutting outward.
The wrasse family (Labridae) is known from
the Paleocene (65 to 55 million years ago).
Redeye Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus solorensis (Labridae)
Wrasses
Distribution: Found in the Western Central
Pacific and Indonesia.
Habitat: Coastal to outer reef lagoons on rubble
and coral habitats.
Appearance: Highly variable. The eye is bright
red. Males usually have a dark band along the
end of the gill covering. Change color and sex
with growth. Females are able to change sex
into an often brilliantly colored terminal male
phase. Max. size: 11 cm.
Diet: Natural diet consists of zooplankton. In
captivity they eat small shrimp, worms, and
invertebrates, as well as chopped meat.
Reproduction and Development: In general
wrasses spawn following a mating ritual
during which the male flashes his colors to a
harem of females. He selects a gravid female
and they swim in a loop and at the highest
point release the gametes. A second male may
perform what is known as streak spawning,
where he swims into the loop of a spawning
pair and releases his sperm at the same time.
Remarks: The cornea of the eye of fairy
wrasses is divided into two segments,
essentially forming a double pupil. It is
thought that the center pupil is a close-up