The rose-veiled fairy wrasse | Sunday Observer

The rose-veiled fairy wrasse

1 May, 2022

With a colour palette brighter than a bag of Skittles, you’d think the rose-veiled fairy wrasse would have no trouble standing out. But in the teeming waters of the Indian Ocean, it’s easy for a fish to swim under the radar, even when it looks like it’s ultraviolet.

For decades, the rose-veiled fairy wrasse was mistaken for its relative, the rosy-scales fairy wrasse. The two reef fish both grow up to three inches long, sport the same shocking ombre patterning, and float around the water column like dazed little sprites. But there are some subtle differences. The rose-veiled fairy wrasse has a more rounded tail fin and red-purple crosshatches on parts of its body. The adults of both species also vary in colouration, though it’s hard to tell with the dimness underwater.

Source : Internet

 

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