The mandarinfish is a bottom-living fish most often found among coral or shallow lagoons in the waters of the west Pacific. This species survives by traveling in small groups and feeding on bottom-dwelling invertebrates.

For defense, the mandarinfish secretes a horrible tasting toxic mucus that compensates for its lack of protective scales. The mucus protects the fish from parasites, and discourages predators from consuming the fish due to its horrible taste. The bright coloring of the fish serves to warn these predators of their unpleasant taste.

You can visit this coral reef dweller in the Tropical Diver gallery of the Georgia Aquarium.

• This is a small, broad-headed and elongated scaleless fish.
• It has a separate dorsal fin; the first fin has spines and the second is soft-rayed.
• The male is larger and exhibits a longer-spined dorsal fin that it uses for display.
• It is usually found in small groups spread over a small area.
• The mandarinfish is sexually dimorphic, meaning males look different than females.

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