Reef Fish
Mandarinfish
Synchiropus splendidus · Bony fish — family Callionymidae (dragonets)
Few reef events run on a schedule this exact. By day mandarinfish thread through coral rubble almost invisibly; in the last light they change program entirely. Males circle and spar, then pair with females, press cheek to cheek, and rise slowly half a meter or more above the rubble before releasing gametes in a shiver and darting back into cover. The ritual repeats at dusk essentially every evening of the year, which makes this one of the most dependable animal behaviors in diving. The fish itself is a thumb-length dragonet painted in orange scrawls over saturated blue — one of very few vertebrates known to produce blue color in dedicated pigment cells. Success is a patience game: settle early, shield your light, skip the strobe until pairs rise, and never chase.
どこで・いつ見られるか
「常駐（Resident）」とは、そのダイビングスポットでのほとんどのダイブで遭遇できることを意味します。「季節限定（Seasonal）」とは、記載された月に確実に見られることを意味します。それ以外の出会いはボーナスであり、計画の前提にはなりません。
| 目的地 | 信頼性 | 月 | メモ |
|---|---|---|---|
| PalauPalau | Resident — seen on most dives | 年間を通じて | |
| MalapascuaPhilippines | Resident — seen on most dives | 年間を通じて | |
| AnilaoPhilippines | Resident — seen on most dives | 年間を通じて | |
| Lembeh StraitIndonesia | Resident — seen on most dives | 年間を通じて | |
| YapFederated States of Micronesia | Resident — seen on most dives | 年間を通じて | |
| Dumaguete, Dauin & Apo IslandPhilippines | Resident — seen on most dives | 年間を通じて |
ベストな月、一目でわかる
理解を深める
ハビタット: Sheltered lagoon and inshore rubble, especially broken branching-coral beds with deep hiding space.
分布域: Western Pacific from the Ryukyu Islands through the Philippines, Indonesia, and Micronesia to Australia and New Caledonia.
生態・行動: Cryptic by day, then a ritualized dusk courtship: males display and spar, pairs press flank to flank and rise above the rubble to spawn at last light, every evening of the year.
食性: Tiny benthic crustaceans, worms, and eggs picked continuously from the rubble.
サイズ: 目安は 0.05 m; 確認済みの最大記録 0.07 m (total length; males noticeably larger than females).
出会ったときの正しいふるまい方
Arrive before sunset, settle on sand, and keep torches shielded or red-filtered; save the strobe for the spawning rise and never chase a pair back into the rubble.
保全
Locally pressured by aquarium collection in parts of the Philippines and Indonesia; dive-tourism value gives resident populations real protection at established sites.
目撃情報で知られるダイブサイト
動画を見る
公式チャンネルより
Best Places to Dive with Whale Sharks
Outrageously Tiny Fish
Sink or Swim? with Monét X Change | Monterey Bay Aquarium
動画はクリエイター自身のチャンネルへの埋め込みリンクです。当サイトはコンテンツをホストせず、すべての出典を明示しています。