One of the most rarely seen wrasses in the aquarium trade is about to become a little less rare. Up until quite recently, the Half-banded Flasherwrasse (Paracheilinus hemitaeniatus) was a nearly unobtainable “book fish”, known only from a few preserved specimens and a handful of photographs. The first aquarium specimens only began showing up in 2013 from suppliers in Northwestern Madagascar, but the species has continued to remain elusive. But that might be about to change, as RVS Fishworld just scored ten (10!) specimens from their new collecting substation on the eastern coast of Madagascar.
Half-banded Flasherwrasse (Paracheilinus hemitaeniatus) from Toamasina, Madagascar. This is a relatively young male, lacking the dramtic caudal filaments that this species develops. Credit: Bernett Shutman / RVS Fishworld
Female Paracheilinus hemitaeniatus. Credit: Barnett Shutman / RVS Fishworld
Paracheilinus Hemitaeniatus caching in Madagascar By Marine Aquaculture Nosy Be
P. hemitaeniatus belongs to a small clade that includes the Eightline Flasherwrasse (P. octotaenia) of the Red Sea, the Mauritius Flasherwrasse (P. piscilineatus) of the Mascarene Islands, and the Diamond-tail Flasherwrasse (P. attenuatus), known from Kenya and Northwestern Madagascar. These wrasses are surprisingly heterogeneous when it comes to their coloration and fin morphology (particularly when compared to some of the other major species groups in the genus, which tend to be fairly repetitive in their motifs). All are rather uncommonly available and expensive, but the Half-banded Flasherwrasse has to be considered the pinnacle of this group’s evolution. With its handsome patterning, sail-like dorsal and anal fins, and the long, trailing filaments of the caudal fin, the male of this species is without equal.
Categories:
Fish,
Industry
Joe is classically trained in the zoological arts and sciences, with a particular focus on the esoterica of invertebrate taxonomy and evolution. He’s written for several aquarium publications and published the first exhaustive phylogenies for a number of reef fishes. For many years, he lorded over the marinelife at Chicago’s venerable Old Town Aquarium. His one true love is entomology, and he has most recently studied prairie insect ecology at the Field Museum of Natural History. When he’s not busy penning recondite fish missives or staring through a microscope at fly genitals, he can usually be found fawning over his malicious and spiteful kitty cat.
