The orangeback fairy-wrasse, ''Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis'', 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 ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

to the

Pacific 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 ...

waters of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. It inhabits

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

s and can be found at depths from . This species can reach a total length of . It can be found in the aquarium as well as ocean trade. The Fairy Wrasse fishes, genus Cirrhilabrus, have many species that are found all over the Info-Pacific. The fairy wrasses are known for their bright neon colors. The Orangeback Fairy Wrasses are like many wrasses in that they live in harems of many females in a group with only one male. The male is the dominant fish with the stronger colors and traits. There have been no small males that have been recorded so it is believed that all Orangeback Fairy Wrasses’ begin as females and then some females transform into males. The Cirrhilabrus species eats mainly Zooplankton, they have pair of teeth in the front and a set of teeth wrapped around the side which is used to break down their food. Orangeback Fairy wrasses are found in shallow waters mainly ranging from 10–75 feet but also can be found deeper. When the Fairy wrasses are found in deeper depths however, their fluorescence allows them to see wavelengths that wouldn't otherwise be available. All Fairy Wrasses have great ability to see red fluorescence which is unique as most fish have poor sensitivity within this area. There is much still not known about Orangeback Fairy Wrasses as most of the species have not been found in the open ocean. However, we do know that the males and females vary significantly from how they act to their sensitivities to different colors and wavelengths.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2993188 Orangeback fairy wrasse Taxa named by Gerald R. Allen Taxa named by Rudie Hermann Kuiter Fish described in 1999