Mandarin dragonet,Synchiropus splendidacus
This four-inch long fish is one of the most brightly colored fish in the sea. Found in the Indo-Pacific from the Philippines to Australia, it is commonly known as the Mandarin goby, but it is not actually related to gobies; it instead belongs to a group of fish known collectively as dragonets. The Mandarin dragonet is also called the Psychedelic fish for obvious reasons. In addition to the bright colors, male Mandarins also sport a long spike on their dorsal fins which is used in courtship display and is usually not visible.
Part of the brilliance of the fish comes from a very unique property of its smooth, scaleless skin—it is one of only two known animal species that has a blue color due to pigment in its skin cells.
Check out more colorful fish at the Aquarium of the Pacific Live Cam.
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