Tony Gill

Pseudochromis fuscus - a dottyback not a wrasse.

This species has now been named: Trimma trioculatum.

Cephalopholis boenak - chocolate hind. Not the most colourful of groupers, but doesn't get all that big. Grows to a total length of about 25 cm.

That lower fish doesn't look a Labroides to me. It's a little hard to tell, but I suspect it's a juvenile Hologymnosus annulatus. Do an image search on that name and see if it matches up okay. Tony

Looks like Halichoeres nigrescens to me.

I also collected them in a survey of Middleton and Elizabeth Reefs (both now within marine parks), which are just north of Lord Howe Island. In northern NSW, the species is mostly known from islands that are within marine parks. It does sometimes turn up on the coastal reefs outside of marine parks, but there are relatively few commercial collectors operating in NSW.

I think it's just the odd individual that shows the red and yellow coloration. I've seen such individuals in the northern part of the range of the species (Byron Bay and Coffs Harbour, in northern NSW), but they have been recorded from much farther south by other people.

Trachinops taeniatus doesn't always handle all that well, but are usually pretty tough once they are settled in. Hopefully the ORA ones are better suited. I suspect they may try to get hold of the red and yellow form of the species. I've seen a few of them, mostly in northern NSW. They look like this: http://portstephensmarinelife.weebly.com/uploads/6/1/2/5/6125720/8772426_orig.jpg

Note that you can navigate around and see Heterodontus, wobbegongs, various local wrasses (Ophthalmolepis lineolatus is the main one that keeps popping up), Parma microlepis ... and more Trachinops.

This might be of interest to some of you - particularly the schools of Trachinops taeniatus. It's photographed immediately north of Sydney Harbour. I used to snorkel there a lot when I lived in Sydeny in the late 1980s. I see the same species where I now live, about 60 km farther north. https://www.google.com/maps/views/view/streetview/oceans/shelly-beach-sydney-australia/HQSORBv7gGwAAAQYfefWPA?gl=us&heading=356&pitch=81&fovy=75&utm_content=buffer5b57a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#!view/streetview/oceans/shelly-beach-sydney-australia/HQSORBv7gGwAAAQYfefWPA?gl=us&heading=0&pitch=81&fovy=75&utm_content=buffer5b57a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Sorry, but Lubbockichthys has been a challenging genus to sort out ... and it's just me doing the legwork. (That's the case for all of the pseudochromids - I've described around 1/3 of the 150 species, plus sorted out the identification of all the previously described species.) One of the main problems has been deciding which species to associate the name L. multisquamatus with. The holotype is somewhat intermediate between two species in some characters. It's interesting that you say they are both common, as that's not the case as far as museum specimens go. (I'm aware of only six specimens of one of the species.) As for the Pseudoplesiops rosae confusion - that's because aquarists and divers have depended on popular field guides rather than going to the more comprehensive treatments. I published a key to species of Pseudoplesiops in a readily available resource 15 years ago, which clarified the identity of P. rosae. In any case, I'll keep you posted on the progress of the paper. At this stage I anticipate it will come out around May next year.

Your Pseudoplesiops rosae and Lubbockichthys multisquamatus appear to be two of my new species of Lubbockichthys. It's hard to be sure though, without seeing side-on views. I've almost completed my paper revising this genus (and am chipping away on a revision of Pseudoplesiops at the same time), and am hoping to submit it for publication later this year. Once it comes out, I might write a contribution for this group on the various species. (At this stage I'm recognising six species in Lubbockichthys, three of which are new. I'm struggling a bit with species limits in Pseudoplesiops, but there are at least 10 in that genus.) Tony

That's Manonichthys jamali, not Pseudochromis. Some of the other Manonichthys species are also mimics. For example, M. paranox is a mimic of Centropyge nox - even has the odd flicky way of swimming.

Just thought I'd share this: http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Splendid-Perch-caught-off-Stanwell-Park/ Tony

Possibly Neovespicula depressifrons, but definitely a tetrarogid. It's not Centrogenys. Incidentally, I don't buy the mimicry story. For one thing, why mimic something that is trying to not be seen? And secondly - and more importantly - Centrogenys can deliver a mild sting itself. (I know that from first-hand experience).