Bell's Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus bellae): Breeding Notes

Paracheilinus bellae is a deepwater flasher wrasse from the Marshall Islands. Like other flasher wrasses it spawns at dusk and releases pelagic eggs, so it is not bred in home aquaria.

Overview

Paracheilinus bellae is a flasher wrasse of the family Labridae. FishBase records it as a deepwater, reef-associated species from Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, found among dense algal beds of deep lagoons at depths of about 18 to 31 metres and reaching roughly 6.5 cm. Reef Builders describes it as a rare deepwater species seldom seen in the aquarium trade.

Sexing

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced. According to FishBase, females and juveniles lack the elongated dorsal and caudal fin lobes and the electric colours that males develop. Dominant males show extended fin rays and intense nuptial colouration, while females stay smaller and plainer.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

Flasher wrasses are named for the male's flashing courtship display. As described by Reef Builders, males intensify iridescent colours and race past females, a display best seen about an hour before sunset. Spawning occurs in mixed-sex groups in which females greatly outnumber males, and pairs rise into the water column to release eggs and milt.

Egg & Fry Care

The eggs are pelagic and drift in open water, and the larvae have a long planktonic phase. No documented protocol exists for rearing Paracheilinus bellae larvae through this stage in captivity, so aquarium stock is collected from the wild.

Common Challenges

The barriers are biological: the dusk flashing display needs space and an established harem, fertilised eggs scatter into the water column rather than onto a substrate, and the tiny planktonic larvae require live foods of a size and density that home systems rarely sustain.