Mandarinfish

• It spawns in pairs at dusk: male and female rise together towards the surface and release eggs and sperm in midwater.
• It has no scales; instead it secretes a thick, foul-smelling mucus that serves as a defence.
• Every individual in the aquarium trade comes from the wild, and selective collection of large males can disrupt its mating system.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bony fish)

Habitat and environment

Sheltered shallow lagoons and coastal reefs of the western Pacific, between 1 and 18 m; it shelters under foliose and dead coral

Sexual maturity

It reaches sexual maturity at around 14 months, at about 3 cm long

Gestation / incubation

The eggs hatch very quickly: 12.5 hours at 28.5 °C. The larva flexes between days 8 and 11 and settles on the bottom at 12-14 days, at 3.5 to 10 mm

Litter / clutch size

From 12 to 205 eggs per clutch, at intervals of about a week

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchiropus_splendidus; Estudio de campo del sistema de apareamiento de Synchiropus splendidus; Sadovy, Mitcheson & Rasotto 2001, desarrollo temprano del pez mandarin; Recopilacion sobre Synchiropus splendidus; Ficha de especie de Synchiropus splendidus; FishBase; FishBase, Synchiropus splendidus; estudio de campo del sistema de apareamiento

Best time: It breeds all year in tropical habitat, with daily spawning confirmed over several months; it lives between 1 and 18 m in sheltered shallow lagoons and coastal reefs, over silty bottoms with coral and rubble