Female Christmas Wrasse or Mistake?

I bought what was labeled as a female christmas wrasse, but I think it is not the right fish. I am worried that she is one of the halichores wrasses that gets huge and that I may need to return her. The tail face and dorsal fin look right, but she should have green in her body and a blue belly. She is swimming around like the tank is to small which adds to my worries. Any help is appreciated.

 

could it be a red-lined wrasse (halichoeres biocellatus)?

 

if it is, the max size is around 4 inches.

 

I'm no expert in wrasses, but it does look like a Halichoeres claudia to me. However, it is quite colorful, leading me to belive it to be male, not female. Again, not an expert. Patiently awaiting Hunter's answer.

 

Thanks. The pattern is similar but my picture looks more red than what the wrasse actually looks like. She appears mostly dark blue.

 

Actually, SAY I believe you are correct. I looked up more information about halichoeres biocellatus and some of them have more blue in them. Thanks for your help.

 

It is a beauty. Congrats. Many species of Halichoeres are mis-labeled as Christmas wrasses.

 

Who, me? arty-smi (Hi Andy )

Eh, kinda. 3 are actually sold under the common name (Christmas Wrasse).

They are: H. biocellatus, H. claudia, and H. ornatissimus. To me, the best common names on these are Red-lined wrasse, Christmas Wrasse, and Ornate Wrasse, respectively.

That being said, you have H. biocellatus. It's not terminal male, but looks like a sub-male/transitional male to me, due to coloration. If it was a terminal male, it wouldn't have the spot on it's dorsal fin near its tail.

You're fine. He's simply exploring the tank, looking for food. Normal for all Halichoeres.

 

Thanks everyone. He's just cruising around the rocks now and seems much more relaxed. He is also showing more green and red colors, so maybe the extra blue was because he was a little stressed.