The Carpenter's flasher wrasse, ''Paracheilinus carpenteri'', is a species of

wrasse The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into 9 subgroups or tribes. They are typically small, most of them le ...

native to the western

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. It can be found on

reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

at depths from . This species can reach in standard length. It can be found in the

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

trade. As with other members of this genus, the "flashing" mating behaviour involves short, quick dashes through the water column by the male whilst concomitantly flaring its fins and intensifying in colour in the presence of females - this behaviour commonly takes place starting from a secure place near reef rocks or the sand bed, "flashing" in the water column, and then returning to the point of origination; this display is thought to attract females and/or stimulate mating. Flashing is much less common in the absence of females, and is considered very visually desirable by many aquarists.

Etymology

The species is named in honor of Dr.

Kent E. Carpenter Dr. Kent E. Carpenter is a professor of biological sciences at Old Dominion University, in Norfolk, Virginia, who is notable for having two fish species named in his honor, '' Paracheilinus carpenteri'' Randall and Lubbock 1981, popularly known as " ...

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (Old Dominion or ODU) is a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia. It was established in 1930 as the Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary and is now one of the largest universities in Virginia with ...

, who was the principal collector of the type specimens.

Aquarium keeping

It regularly makes its way into the aquarium trade.Aquatic Community http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/Wrasses/Carpenters.php. It is generally considered to be one of the easier wrasses to keep in captivity, adapting quickly to a fairly indiscriminate carnivorous diet. It is considered "reef-safe" in the aquarium as it does not attack or harass invertebrates or nibble at coral polyps.

References

Carpenter's flasher wrasse The Carpenter's flasher wrasse, ''Paracheilinus carpenteri'', is a species of wrasse native to the western Pacific Ocean. It can be found on reefs at depths from . This species can reach in standard length. It can be found in the aquarium ...

Taxa named by John Ernest Randall Taxa named by Roger Lubbock Fish described in 1981 {{Labridae-stub