McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse

McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse, Paracheilinus mccoskeri, are truly stunning fish.

They have vibrant reddish orange bodies, that sport neon blue stripes. Bright yellow bellies highlight their glamour, as do their large, decorative fins. The dorsal and anal fin both show off deep red bands, framed by soft orange hues. Males are distinguished by the long spine on their dorsal fin.

The name “Flasher wrasse” broadly describes the Paracheilinus genus. The name comes from distinctive courtship displays the males put on. The brightly coloured boys dart around, flashing their fins at potential partners. While keeping other males away by showing off their spines.

McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse, Paracheilinus mccoskeri, Ecology.

McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse live in the Indo-West Pacific, between Australia and Fiji.  They gather on outer reefs, darting amongst: coral heads, seaweed or rock.

The complex habitat help the wrasse avoid predation. Unlike some species, these fish do not bury themselves to sleep or hide. Instead, they have quite a nifty trick. In order to sleep safely, McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse find a nook they like. They then envelope themselves in a protective mucus coat. Supposedly, this hides the wrasses scent from predators. These sticky invisibility cloaks do not degrade your water quality like some coral wax jackets’ might.

McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse live in groups with one male to a few or more females. These fish are protogynous hermaphrodites. Which means that, when they get old enough, breeding females turn into a male. As a result, all juveniles are immature females.

Wrasse In the Aquarium.

It is important to imitate the natural environment, by making plenty of nooks and crannies for the fish to hide in. Hobbyists should invest in a jump guard to prevent any unfortunate mishaps.

McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse do best when fed a varied diet. They will accept enriched frozen mysis shrimp and enriched frozen brine shrimp. They will also devour live foods, such as copepods and amphipods, that can be cultivated in attached refugium. Over time they will accept high-quality pellet or flake. We adapt all our wrasse to aquarium life before they leave us. We focus on their health, and most are eating a good quality flake food and/or pellet, such as JBL Maris, before being offered for sale.