Paine's Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus paineorum): Breeding Notes

Paracheilinus paineorum was split from the filamentosus complex in 2016. As a flasher wrasse it spawns at dusk and releases pelagic eggs, so it is not bred in aquaria.

Overview

Paracheilinus paineorum is a flasher wrasse described in 2016. According to Reef Builders it was erected for a cryptic species previously lumped within the filamented flasher wrasse complex, occurring around Manado in Sulawesi and through central Indonesia, with the true P. filamentosus restricted further east. FishBase lists it as a reef-associated species from the Western Central Pacific.

Sexing

Reef Builders notes that, like its sister species P. xanthocirritus, males carry highly lunate caudal fins and copiously filamented fins and develop distinctive nuptial colours during flashing. Females and juveniles are plainer and lack the extended fin elements.

Spawning Behavior & Trigger

As a member of the genus, P. paineorum spawns through the characteristic flasher display in which males intensify colour and dash past females in mixed groups around dusk, then pairs rise into the water column to release gametes. Wild hybridisation with related flasher wrasses has been documented.

Egg & Fry Care

The eggs are pelagic and float into the plankton. No captive larval-rearing protocol is documented for this recently described species, so any aquarium specimens originate from wild collection.

Common Challenges

Beyond the universal flasher-wrasse obstacles of dusk courtship and pelagic eggs, P. paineorum is taxonomically young and rarely studied, so even its captive spawning behaviour is poorly documented compared with the broader genus.