mandarinfish
mandarin dragonet
synchiropus splendidus latin

It should not be confused with the unrelated saltwater mandarinfish.

Despite their popularity in the aquarium trade, mandarinfish are considered difficult to keep, as their feeding habits are very specific.

The mandarinfish is native to the Pacific, ranging approximately from the Ryukyu Islands south to Australia.

The Mandarinfish belongs to the perciform family Callionymidae, the dragonets, which counts 10 genera and more than 182 species.

The common name of the Mandarinfish comes from its extremely vivid colouration, evoking the robes of an Imperial Chinese mandarin.

However, some types of mandarinfish do possess vesicles of a cyan biochrome of unknown chemical structure in cells named cyanophores.

The Mandarinfish or Mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus), is a small, brightly colored member of the dragonet family, which is popular in the saltwater aquarium trade.

The Mandarinfish was first described as Callionymus splendidus in 1927 by Albert William Herre, an American ichthyologist working in the Philippines.

The fish Synchiropus picturatus is one of only two animal species known to have blue coloring because of cellular pigment, the other being the closely related mandarinfish (S. splendidus).

Other common names include Mandarin goby, Green mandarin, Striped mandarinfish, Striped dragonet, Green dragonet and sometimes Psychedelic mandarinfish.

Based on the gut analyses of 7 wild fish Sadovy et al. (2001) determined that the mandarinfish has a mixed diet that consists of harpacticoid copepods, polychaete worms, small gastropods, gammaridean amphipods, fish eggs and ostracods.

Live copepods are popular among hobbyists who are attempting to keep particularly difficult species such as the mandarin dragonet or scooter blenny.

The Mandarinfish or Mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus), is a small, brightly colored member of the dragonet family, which is popular in the saltwater aquarium trade.

The most common commercially available dragonets are the mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus), the psychedelic mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus picturatus) and the ocellated dragonet, or scooter blenny.

Synchiropus splendidus (Mandarinfish)

Aquarists have found them to be generally accepting of tankmates like "Synchiropus splendidus" '(Mandarinfish) and other bottom dwelling fishes.

Catching fish in the wild can reduce their population sizes, placing them in danger of extinction in collecting areas, as has been observed with the dragonet Synchiropus splendidus.

The Mandarinfish or Mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus splendidus), is a small, brightly colored member of the dragonet family, which is popular in the saltwater aquarium trade.

The most common commercially available dragonets are the mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus), the psychedelic mandarin dragonet (Synchiropus picturatus) and the ocellated dragonet, or scooter blenny.