Related Articles: The Diversity of Wrasses, Family Labridae, Cook Islands Wrasses, 

/The Best Livestock for Your Marine Aquarium

 Maori/Splendour Wrasses, the Genera Cheilinus & (to): Oxycheilinus

By Bob Fenner

  See the Maori, Splendour?

Cheilinus abudjubbe (Ruppell 1835), simply called the Abudjubbe or Adubjubbe’s (Splendour) Wrasse is one of a handful of wrasses of this genus that are occasionally shipped out of the Red Sea (2). To about 16" overall length. Now a junior synonym for Cheilinus trilobatus (see below). Juvenile Tripletail/Abudjubbe's Wrasses in the Gulf of Aqaba.

Cheilinus celebicus (Bleeker 1853), the Celebes (Splendour) Wrasse. To 24 cm. Western Pacific; Moluccas, S. Japan, Tonga. Here in S. Sulawesi.
http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/
speciesSummary.php?ID=5597&
genusname=Oxycheilinus&speciesname=celebicus

Cheilinus chlorourus (Bloch 1791), the Floral Wrasse (1). Hardy, but not as good-looking as some of its congeners. To twenty inches long in the wild; much smaller in captivity. Indo-Pacific out to the Tuamotus. The first one a small juvenile in Australia, another more adult in Pulau Redang, Malaysia, and one in Fiji.

Cheilinus mentalis Ruppell 1828, the Mental Wrasse. Western Indian Ocean and Red Sea. To eight inches overall length. Rare in the western pet-fish trade. Individuals in the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba.

Cheilinus oxycephalus, the Red Hog or Snooty Wrasse (1) is the big winner of the Cheilinus-for-aquariums ratings.. Especially as a juvenile this is a drop-dead gorgeous species that does well in peaceful fish and even reef aquarium settings. To less than eight inches overall length. Indo-Pacific but not Red Sea. Aquarium, N. & S. Sulawesi pix.
http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=5602&genusname=Cheilinus&speciesname=oxycephalus

No pic

Cheilinus trilobatus Lacepede 1801, the Tripletail Wrasse (2) we’ll list as it is occasionally sold in the business. This is another aquarium-tough, medium-shipper that gets big (about two feet). Indo-Pacific; Red Sea to the Tuamotus. Here are images from the Maldives, Red Sea and Malaysia.

For curiosity’s sake we’ll mention the granddaddy of all wrasses that just happens to be in this genus. The Humphead or Napoleon Wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus Ruppell 1835 (2) looks like a tropical ornamental in photographs that lack visual size clues, but it gets the size of your couch! To seven feet (2.3m) and more than four hundred pounds. Folks ought to leave this friendly giant in the sea. Here are images of the world's largest species of Wrasse at one foot in a public aquarium (Waikiki), a two foot juvenile in the Red Sea, and a five foot "pet" in French Polynesia's Moorea. Head profile at top.