Mandarinfish
Synchiropus splendidus
- Scientific name
- Synchiropus splendidus
- Group
- Reef fish
- Rarity
- Rare
- Where to see it
- Indo-Pacific & Red Sea
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Least concern
Did you know?
The mandarinfish has no scales, just skin covered in toxic mucus with some of the most colorful blue-and-orange patterns on the reef; pairs briefly rise together into the water column to spawn at dusk.
What defines this group — Reef fish
The bony fish that live against coral and rock: the living backdrop of almost every dive.
- A bony skeleton, scales, and a rigid gill cover closing over the gills.
- A swim bladder acts as a float: they hold their depth without swimming.
- Many change colour, pattern — sometimes even sex — over the course of their life.
Other species in this group
- Ocellaris clownfish
- Blue tang
- Red lionfish
- Spot-fin porcupinefish
- Mediterranean moray
- Clark's anemonefish