CIRRHILABRUS EXQUISITUS - (SMITH, 1957)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Labriformes (Order) > Labroidei (Suborder) > Labridae (Family) > Cirrhilabrus (Genus)
Labre exquis, Exquisite wrasse, Exquisite fairy-wrasse, Nishiki-itohikibera, ニシキイトヒキベラ, 尾斑丝隆头鱼, 豔麗絲鰭鯛,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-9 (usually: 9); Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9; Pectoral fin rays: 14-15 (rarely:14); Median predorsal scales: 5; Scale rows on cheek: 2. Caudal fin of young slightly rounded, of adults double emarginate with lobes prolonged. Max. length: 12.0 cm SL. Depth range: 6 - 40 m, usually: 2 - 10 m.
Color
Juveniles and small females red with an oval blue-edged black spot posteriorly on caudal peduncle, and a medial white spot at front of snout.
Adult males olivaceous dorsally shading to white, pale blue or pink ventrally. With an oval black spot generally as large as or larger than eye posteriorly on caudal peduncle with its lower edge on the lateral line, a blue line sometimes broken extending from below peduncular spot to beneath pectoral fin. An oblique blue line from corner of mouth above eye to nape and continuing along base of dorsal fin, another from behind eye, breaking up above pectoral fin, and a third from the corner of mouth to upper edge of pectoral fin base, base of pectoral fin with a blue-edged black bar, the margin of fin red, median fins with a variable amount of red.
Etymology
Cirrhilabrus: from Latin, cirrus = curl, fringe + from Latin, labrum = lip, rim or edge (type genus of family); Referring to the big lips of the fishes of the genus (from Ovid (Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus) and Pliny (Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 – 79), called Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic Naturalis Historia (Natural History), which became an editorial model for encyclopedias) according to Petrus Artedi (Peter Artedi or Petrus Arctaedius (1705 – 1735) was a Swedish naturalist who is known as the "father of ichthyology")).
exquisitus: from Latin, exquiro = perfect, exquisite, “an especially beautiful small fish, the coloring exquisite”.
Original description: Cirrhilabrus exquisitus Smith, 1957 - Type locality: Pinda, Mozambique, 14°10'S, 40°41'E, western Indian Ocean.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, Socotra and Madagascar east to Line and Tuamotu islands, north to Ryukyu Islands (Japan), south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Occurs over rubble or low patch reefs in areas of current; Also on reef edges and around bommies with rubble zones; Often in moderately large groups and mixed sex during feeding on zooplankton well above the substrate. Cirrhilabrus exquisitus is a carnivorous fish. It has a unique, sharp, tooth-like appendage enclosed in its mouth that is used to eat its larger prey which is primarily mollusks. In order to get through the hard shell, the Wrasse uses its sharp tooth to break the shell open. Its food also includes zooplankton, rotifers and copepods. Since these organisms are much smaller, the Exquisite Wrasse must filter these foods from the water. The Exquisite Wrasse moves in schools where there are only one or two dominant males. If these males are removed, the largest female quickly changes sex and becomes the dominant male. In order to change sex, the female cuts down its supply of estrogen. This process insures that offspring will always be produced. Cirrhilabrus exquisitus has an extremely unpleasant taste. Therefore it is not naturally hunted for food by humans. Aquarium fish.
Similar species
Last update: 18, March 2022
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Labriformes (Order) > Labroidei (Suborder) > Labridae (Family) > Cirrhilabrus (Genus)
Labre exquis, Exquisite wrasse, Exquisite fairy-wrasse, Nishiki-itohikibera, ニシキイトヒキベラ, 尾斑丝隆头鱼, 豔麗絲鰭鯛,
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-9 (usually: 9); Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 9; Pectoral fin rays: 14-15 (rarely:14); Median predorsal scales: 5; Scale rows on cheek: 2. Caudal fin of young slightly rounded, of adults double emarginate with lobes prolonged. Max. length: 12.0 cm SL. Depth range: 6 - 40 m, usually: 2 - 10 m.
Color
Juveniles and small females red with an oval blue-edged black spot posteriorly on caudal peduncle, and a medial white spot at front of snout.
Adult males olivaceous dorsally shading to white, pale blue or pink ventrally. With an oval black spot generally as large as or larger than eye posteriorly on caudal peduncle with its lower edge on the lateral line, a blue line sometimes broken extending from below peduncular spot to beneath pectoral fin. An oblique blue line from corner of mouth above eye to nape and continuing along base of dorsal fin, another from behind eye, breaking up above pectoral fin, and a third from the corner of mouth to upper edge of pectoral fin base, base of pectoral fin with a blue-edged black bar, the margin of fin red, median fins with a variable amount of red.
Etymology
Cirrhilabrus: from Latin, cirrus = curl, fringe + from Latin, labrum = lip, rim or edge (type genus of family); Referring to the big lips of the fishes of the genus (from Ovid (Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid, was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus) and Pliny (Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 – 79), called Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic Naturalis Historia (Natural History), which became an editorial model for encyclopedias) according to Petrus Artedi (Peter Artedi or Petrus Arctaedius (1705 – 1735) was a Swedish naturalist who is known as the "father of ichthyology")).
exquisitus: from Latin, exquiro = perfect, exquisite, “an especially beautiful small fish, the coloring exquisite”.
Original description: Cirrhilabrus exquisitus Smith, 1957 - Type locality: Pinda, Mozambique, 14°10'S, 40°41'E, western Indian Ocean.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: East Africa, Socotra and Madagascar east to Line and Tuamotu islands, north to Ryukyu Islands (Japan), south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Occurs over rubble or low patch reefs in areas of current; Also on reef edges and around bommies with rubble zones; Often in moderately large groups and mixed sex during feeding on zooplankton well above the substrate. Cirrhilabrus exquisitus is a carnivorous fish. It has a unique, sharp, tooth-like appendage enclosed in its mouth that is used to eat its larger prey which is primarily mollusks. In order to get through the hard shell, the Wrasse uses its sharp tooth to break the shell open. Its food also includes zooplankton, rotifers and copepods. Since these organisms are much smaller, the Exquisite Wrasse must filter these foods from the water. The Exquisite Wrasse moves in schools where there are only one or two dominant males. If these males are removed, the largest female quickly changes sex and becomes the dominant male. In order to change sex, the female cuts down its supply of estrogen. This process insures that offspring will always be produced. Cirrhilabrus exquisitus has an extremely unpleasant taste. Therefore it is not naturally hunted for food by humans. Aquarium fish.
Similar species
- Cirrhilabrus beauperryi (Allen, Drew & Barber, 2008) - Reported from Western Pacific: northeastern Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
- Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura (Bleeker, 1851) - Reported from Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Andaman Sea and Christmas Island east to Bali (Indonesia), north to southern Japan.
- Cirrhilabrus katherinae (Randall, 1992) - Reported from Western Pacific: Japan, Mariana Islands, Caroline Islands.
- Cirrhilabrus marjorie (Allen, Randall & Carlson, 2003) - Reported from New Caledonia (Lifou).
- Cirrhilabrus punctatus (Randall & Kuiter, 1989) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here).
- Cirrhilabrus temminckii (Bleeker, 1853) - Reported from Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Indonesia east to Philippines, north to central Japan, south to northern and Western Australia.
Last update: 18, March 2022