Mandarin Fish

Mandarin Fish
Synchiropus Splendidus

Electric blue curls across this tiny reef fish in winding bands, tangled with flashes of orange, green and yellow that seem to change with every movement. Its oversized eyes sit high on a gently sloping head, while the long dorsal fin rises behind it in a soft, flowing arc. Rather than darting through the reef, it tends to pick its way slowly across the bottom, stopping constantly to inspect the rubble for something small enough to eat.

• Size: Up to around 70 mm
• Range: Western Pacific; from the Ryukyu Islands through the Philippines, Indonesia and New Guinea to northern Australia
• Habitat / Depth: Shallow protected lagoons and inshore coral reefs, often over silty bottoms with coral and rubble, from 1–18 m
• Diet: Feeds on tiny crustaceans, worms and other small benthic invertebrates, including copepods and amphipods