Synchiropus splendidus
Synchiropus splendidus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Actinopterygii |
Order: | Callionymiformes |
Family: | Callionymidae |
Genus: | Synchiropus |
Species: | S. splendidus
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Binomial name | |
Synchiropus splendidus (Herre, 1927)
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Synonyms | |
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Synchiropus splendidus, the mandarinfish or mandarin dragonet, is a small, brightly colored member of the
Taxonomy and etymology
The mandarinfish was first described as Callionymus splendidus in 1927 by
The mandarinfish belongs to the
Description
S. splendidus is one of only two vertebrate species known to have blue colouring because of cellular pigment, the other being the closely related
The mandarinfish has a body shape similar to a goby, though this is the only resemblance between the two. The vivid coloration sports a bright blue background, with swirly orange stripes and a blue-greenish face with bold blue stripes. The large pelvic fins are used for 'walking' on the seafloor and are often mistakenly seen as the pectoral fins. The real pectorals are located almost at the center and are nearly transparent, with a tinge of fin, the anal fins and on part of the tail, the rest of which is striped in vibrant orange and blue. The dorsal fin, which is exceptionally tall in males, has a striking orange-and blue design as well. The eyes are usually red with black pupils. Different varieties sport different markings and colors. The green mandarin is the fish that has been described. The red mandarin is the same species, but its pelvic fins and what would be orange is red. In some rare cases, the entire dragonet is red with black stripes. The spotted mandarin is light gray-green with black, pink and blue spots.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.
Diet
Based on the gut analyses of seven wild fish Sadovy et al. (2001) determined that the mandarinfish has a mixed diet that consists of
Relationship to humans
Despite their popularity in the aquarium trade, mandarinfish are considered difficult to keep, as their feeding habits are very specific. Some fish never adapt to aquarium life, refusing to eat anything but live
The mandarinfish appeared on a 39-kip postage stamp from Laos issued in 1987, and a 40-cent postage stamp of the Federated States of Micronesia issued on 26 August 1993.[12][13]
References
- ^ Pietsch, T. W.; Anderson, W. D. Jr., eds. (1997). "Albert William Christian Theodore Herre (1868-1962): A brief autobiography and a bibliography of his ichthyological and fishery science publications, with a foreword by George S. Myers (1905-1985); Collection Building in Ichthyology and Herpetology". American Society of Ichthyology and Herpetology, Special Publications. 3: 351–366.
- .
- ^ Perseus & Tufts: Latin Word Study Tool Lewis & Short (1879)
- ISBN 0-7641-2987-2.
- ISBN 1-85648-632-X. Retrieved 2009-09-08.
- ^ Hauter, Stan; Debbie Hauter. "Striped Mandarinfish Profile". Saltwater Aquariums. About.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ Avila, Marcos A. "Synchiropus picturatus". Saltwater Fish. Age of Aquariums. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ Fricke, R. (2002). "Annotated Checklist of the Dragonet Families Callionymidae and Draconettidae (Teleostei: Callionymoidei), with Comments on Callionymid Fish Classification" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie). 645: 1–103. Retrieved 2009-09-08.[permanent dead link]
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- ^ "Mandarinfish". Stamp Collectors Catalogue. Stamp Collectors Catalogue. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
- ^ "Micronesia: 40c Fish – Mandarinfish". Stamp Supply Selections. Seaside Book & Stamp. 2 November 2006. Retrieved 8 September 2009.[permanent dead link]
- "Synchiropus splendidus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 24 January 2006.
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2005). "Synchiropus splendidus" in FishBase. 10 2005 version.
- Zeng, Shao, L., Ricketts, A., & Moorhead, J. (2018). The importance of copepods as live feed for larval rearing of the green mandarin fish Synchiropus splendidus. Aquaculture, 491, 65–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.03.011