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

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

native to the western

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

. 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 (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave eros ...

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

aquarium An aquarium (: 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. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...

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 "C ...

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

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