Reef Aquarium Species Codexery

Mandarinfish

Last updated

Its common name comes from its vivid colouration, which evokes the robes of an Imperial Chinese mandarin.[1] The dragonet family Callionymidae, to which the mandarinfish belongs, contains over 182 species across 10 genera.[2] Albert William Herre, an American ichthyologist working in the Philippines, originally named the species Callionymus splendidus in 1927.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderSyngnathiformes
  6. FamilyCallionymidae
  7. GenusSynchiropus
  8. SpeciesSynchiropus splendidus

Named by (Herre, 1927)

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Synchiropus splendidus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at order: WoRMS AphiaID 273264 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2019

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Mandarinfish and a personA 0.06 m long mandarinfish drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.06 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.06 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Synchiropus splendidus

Where the mandarinfish has been recorded

Where the mandarinfish has been recorded81 mapped locations from 511 GBIF occurrence records

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (511 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 15 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 1 isolated far-off record not drawn.

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)

Biology and range

The specific epithet splendidus is Latin for "bright" or "glittering".[1] Mandarinfish have a layer of slime instead of scales, which blocks disease and may discourage predators.[4] Researchers proposed the term "cyanophore" to describe the blue pigment-containing cells found in this fish.[5] Except in this species, blue coloration in animals results from structural thin-film interference created by layered purine crystals.[5]

Sadovy et al. (2001) examined the gut contents of seven wild mandarinfish and found they consume harpacticoid copepods, polychaete worms, small gastropods, gammaridean amphipods, fish eggs, and ostracods.[6] During daylight hours, wild mandarinfish feed continuously, selectively pecking at small prey items found on coral substrate.[6]

What the specialist sources record

The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy accepts Synchiropus splendidus (Herre, 1927) as a species in the order Perciformes and family Callionymidae.[7] GBIF holds 732 occurrence records for this taxon as of 17 October 2026.[7] Laos issued a 39-kip postage stamp featuring the mandarinfish in 1987.[8] On 26 August 1993, the Federated States of Micronesia released a 40-cent stamp depicting the mandarinfish.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Synchiropus splendidus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Humphreys, "Troglobitic Millipedes (Diplopoda, Paradoxosomatidae) from semi-arid Cape Range, Western Australia: systematics and biology", Invertebrate Taxonomy, 1993, p. 173–195; Perseus & Tufts: Latin Word Study Tool Lewis & Short (1879); Mills, "The marine aquarium: comprehensive coverage, from setting up an aquarium to choosing the best fishes", Barron's Educational Series, December 1, 2004, p. 200; Crow, "Pocket Guide to the Care and Maintenance of Aquarium Fish", PRC Publishing, 2002, p. 247; Hauter, "Striped Mandarinfish Pr en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Synchiropus splendidus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fricke, "Annotated Checklist of the Dragonet Families Callionymidae and Draconettidae (Teleostei: Callionymoidei), with Comments on Callionymid Fish Classification", Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie) (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Synchiropus splendidus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "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 i (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Synchiropus splendidus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sadovy, "Skin structure in six dragonet species (Gobiesociformes; Callionymidae): Interspecific differences in glandular cell types and mucus secretion", Journal of Fish Biology, May 2005, p. 1411–1418 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Synchiropus splendidus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Blue Chromatophores in Two Species of Callionymid Fish", Zoological Science, 2009, p. 811–813 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Synchiropus splendidus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sadovy, "Early Development of the Mandarinfish, Synchiropus splendidus (Callionymidae), with notes on its Fishery and Potential for Culture", Aquarium Sciences and Conservation, December 2001, p. 253–263 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Synchiropus splendidus (taxon key 2386640). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Synchiropus splendidus" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Mandarinfish", Stamp Collectors Catalogue; "Micronesia: 40c Fish – Mandarinfish", Stamp Supply Selections, April 2019 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Synchiropus splendidus (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

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Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. In what year was the mandarinfish first scientifically described?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is 1927.

From the source: “The mandarinfish was first described as Callionymus splendidus in 1927 by Albert William Herre, an American ichthyologist working in the Philippines.”

2. Who first scientifically described the mandarinfish?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Albert William Herre.

From the source: “The mandarinfish was first described as Callionymus splendidus in 1927 by Albert William Herre, an American ichthyologist working in the Philippines.”

3. What is the scientific name of the mandarinfish?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Synchiropus splendidus.

From the source: “Synchiropus splendidus, the mandarinfish or mandarin dragonet, is a small, brightly colored member of the dragonet family, which is popular in the saltwater aquarium trade.”

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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