Details
Synchiropus splendidus
The mandarinfish is a small, brilliantly colored reef fish of the Indian and Pacific oceans. Active across day and night, it works through reef crevices for tiny prey.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in coral reefs, lagoons, rubble, and shallow areas with branching coral. Abundant cover and rich small invertebrate life are important.
Length is about 5-8 cm and weight about 5-20 g. Blue, orange, and green maze-like markings, smooth skin, and broad pectoral fins stand out.
It moves singly or loosely spaced near the bottom, often with short hopping motions. During breeding, pairs may rise together into the water column near dusk.
It is carnivorous, picking tiny crustaceans, worms, and other small benthic animals. It searches continuously over coral rubble and sand.
Pairs release eggs and sperm while rising from the reef. Eggs and larvae drift before young settle back into bottom habitat.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. Its colors make it popular, but in the wild it depends on healthy reefs rich in tiny live foods.
