FORKTAIL SAND WRASSE
Ammolabrus dicrus Randall & Carlson, 1997
     These are small, slender, schooling fish which live over sand away from reefs, feed on plankton, and dive into the sand when threatened. They were not scientifically described until 1997 and are quite similar in lifestyle and appearance to another recently discovered fish, Pyle's Sandlance. In both cases, the fish aggregate above the sand to feed and when approached gather into swift-moving schools that are difficult to approach. The Forktail Sand Wrasse. is the sole species in its genus. It attains about 3 1/2 in. and is known at present only from Hawai`i. However, similar but as yet unidentified schooling wrasses have been seen at Japan's Ogasawara Islands. Photo: Kahe Point, O`ahu. 30 ft.