Mandarin fish

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Mandarin fish
Synchiropus splendidus 2 Luc Viatour Edit3 MichaLR.jpg

Mandarin fish ( Synchiropus splendidus )

Systematics
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Pipefish (Syngnathiformes)
Subordination : Lyrefish (Callionymoidei)
Family : Lyrefish (Callionymidae)
Genre : Synchiropus
Type : Mandarin fish
Scientific name
Synchiropus splendidus
( Herre , 1927)

The mandarin fish ( Synchiropus splendidus , Syn .: Pterosynchiropus splendidus ) was first described in the genus Callionymus and is now part of the genus Synchiropus within the family of the lyre fish (Callionymidae) .

Natural occurrence

The mandarin fish mainly lives in protected lagoons and coastal reefs. It occurs at depths of up to 18 meters, where it often seeks proximity to the sandy and muddy seabed. The mandarin fish is particularly widespread in the western Indo-Pacific , its range extends from the Philippines , Japan , and Sri Lanka to Australia .

morphology

The mandarin fish is particularly striking because of its bright, colorful exterior. The entire surface of the body has a blue to turquoise hue with irregular reddish or brownish stripes. The head is usually green to yellowish in color and the stripes on the sides of the head merge into yellowish points. The belly is hardly pigmented compared to the darker back; it usually has a light blue to white color. Instead of scales, the mandarin fish has a firm and slimy skin that gives off a foul odor when the fish comes into the air. The mucous layer on the skin is supposed to protect the fish from parasites and diseases. The mandarin fish can reach a body length of 5 to 8 centimeters, with the males being slightly larger and more massive than the females. The male has a clearly elongated first dorsal fin ray that is only very short in the female.

In addition to its unmistakable coloration, the mandarin fish can also be recognized by its relatively large pelvic fins and the raised eyes and the typical pointed mouth of the lyre fish.

nutrition

The carnivorous mandarin fish feeds in a predatory manner. The feeding behavior of the fish is often referred to as pecking, as the lyre fish's snapping for food looks like a bird's pecking. Since it has a small mouth, it mainly eats small invertebrates .

behavior

Lyra fish do not float in the water like other fish, but move jerkily to slowly with the help of their pelvic fins. Usually they keep in contact with the ground with their pelvic fins. They move slowly in search of food. But they are capable of quick movements when they need to flee.

Reproduction

Two mandarin fish mating

The mating of the mandarin fish is a particularly popular spectacle among divers. It takes place during dusk. First, the male swims around the waiting female and tries to attract her attention by spreading and flapping her fins. If a male is successful, the female will slowly swim belly to belly towards the surface of the water. As soon as they have reached a certain height, they drop again and then begin to rise again side by side. This ritualized behavior is used to synchronize the actual spawning process, in which the partners lay their anal fins together and thus form a channel in which the eggs are deposited and fertilized. Once this is done, the pair disengages and quickly dives back down to the ocean floor. The spawn and the larvae that hatch after 24 hours develop pelagic .

development

The larvae are yellow up to the fifth day of life and then change to an orange-red color. Your head gradually widens and takes on its typical color as your body thickens. However, they continue to hover in the near-surface water layers, as this is where the supply of easily digestible microorganisms is greatest. After 14 days the larvae reach a size of 3.5 mm.

When the larvae are two to three weeks old and 3.5 to 4 mm long, they leave the open water and change to a substrate-based way of life on the reef and the sea floor. The shape becomes more and more similar to that of the parents and by the age of seven to eight weeks they also develop their first complex green-brown body color with yellow flecks. At around three months of age, they have achieved the typical appearance of their parents. The young males begin to behave aggressively towards other males around six months of age. Not until six months later do they try to take part in the reproductive process.

Importance to humans

Because of their colors, mandarin fish are coveted fish for saltwater aquariums and are traded as wild-caught fish worldwide. Due to their special diet, however, they are only reserved for experienced aquarists in the aquarium.

literature

  • Dieter Brockmann: Offspring for the coral reef aquarium: manual for the successful breeding of corals and fish . Birgitt Schmettkamp Verlag, 2006, ISBN 978-3-86659-003-8 .
  • Wolfgang Mai: Lyrefish in saltwater aquariums: care and breeding . NTV Natur und Tier-Verlag, 2009, ISBN 978-3-86659-109-7 .

Web links

Commons : Synchiropus splendidus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hans A. Baensch , Helmut Debelius : Sea water atlas . Mergus Verlag, 1992, p. 671-679 .
  2. ↑ Ewald Lieske, Robert F. Myers: Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean . Collins Pocket Guide, 1994.
  3. ↑ Yvonne Sadovy et al .: Marine Early development of the mandarinfish Synchiropus splendidus (Callionymidae), with notes on its fishery and potential for culture . 3. Edition. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001, p. 253-263 .