Male MANDARINFISH (Synchiropus splendidus) - ©Tim Laman
Mandarinfish are reef dwellers, preferring sheltered lagoons and inshore reefs. While they are slow-moving and fairly common within their range, they are not easily seen due to their bottom-feeding habit and their small size (reaching only about 6 cm). They feed primarily on small crustaceans and other invertebrates.
S. splendidus is one of only two animal species known to have blue colouring because of cellular pigment, the other being the closely related LSD-fish (S. picturatus).
The name “cyanophore” was proposed for the blue chromatophores, or pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells. In all other known cases, the colour blue comes from thin-film interference from piles of flat, thin and reflecting purine crystals.
Fact Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarinfish
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Two reasons I like this fish: 1. Cool markings + not surprisingly, it is prettier but closely related to the “LSD...
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