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We’ll cover these two genera together as their members are all
large fishes of moderate survivability (all 2’s). Due to their size and feeding
requirements these fishes are really only suitable for all-fish set-ups. Hemigymnus,
with two species are
commonly called "Thicklip Wrasses", a related reference to their behavior of
ingesting the substrate and sieving it for food items. Hologymnosus, comprising
four species, are frequently termed
"Ring Wrasses" for their circular body markings and tubular shape. This genus
feeds primarily on other fishes. Most losses of fishes in these genera are related to
mouth damage. Check out prospective buys carefully. Like most wrasses, they are great
jumpers.
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Hemigymnus fasciatus (Bloch 1792), the Barred Thicklip Wrasse (2).
Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, east to Tahiti. To thirty two inches long
in the wild. Pictured are a six inch juvenile in an aquarium, Fiji, one of
fifteen inches in N. Sulawesi and a two
foot adult in the Maldives.
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Hemigymnus melapterus (Bloch 1791), the Blackeye Thicklip Wrasse (2).
Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, east to Tahiti. To thirty six inches in the
wild. Shown are a too-small, two inch juvenile in captivity, a four inch
individual in Fiji (about the best aquarium starting size), and a sixteen inch
adult in the Red Sea.
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Hologymnosus annulatus (Lacepede 1801), the Ring Wrasse (2).
Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea east to the Marianas. To sixteen inches in
length. Here are images of a juvenile (3"), female and male in the Red Sea.
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Hologymnosus doliatus (Lacepede 1801), the Pastel Ring or Candycane Wrasse (2).
Indo-Pacific east to the Line Islands. To
eighteen inches. Images: juveniles and adult female in an aquarium.
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There are two other species of Hologymnosus, H. longipes (Gunther
1862), the Sidespot Longface Wrasse, and H. rhodonotus Randall &
Yamakawa 1988, the Redback Longface Wrasse. I have never seen them imported.
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