Photo of the Week: June 01, 2009

Hi Gang!

If there is a more spectacularly colorful fish than the mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus), I have yet to see it. Add the entertaining antics of their nightly courtship and mating rituals, and you have a photographic subject that is highly sought after by underwater photographers.

The mandarinfish is also referred to as the mandarin goby, but despite some resemblance to gobies, the mandarinfish is a member of the dragonet family, and is not a goby. The name mandarinfish is derived from the brilliant colors that bear some resemblance to the vividly colored robes worn by the traditional Imperial Chinese bureaucrats known as mandarins.

Mandarinfish occur in shallow protected lagoons and inshore reefs in the Western Pacific from Ryukyu Islands (a long arc-shaped island chain that stretches from Kyushu to Taiwan, and that is part of Japan) to Australia. They are usually found small groups in areas where the substrate is a mix of silt, coral and rubble. Mandarinfish are found as shallow as 3 feet below the surface to as deep as 55 feet.

But just knowing where mandarinfish live does not make them easy to find as they are shy and reclusive. The key to locating a mandarinfish is to dive in an area where they are known to occur, and to make your dive just before sunset. This is the time when mandarinfish are the most active as they come out to feed on a variety of small crustaceans and other invertebrates. It is also the time that these fishes engage in their courtship and mating rituals.

The key to getting a good look at mandarinfish is to move as little as possible so that you do not disrupt these shy fishes. You will likely want to hover in mid-water slightly to the side, not directly above, a mandarinfish or group of mandarinfish once you have located your subject. Many dive guides suggest that their divers do not use a dive light, or that they use as dim of a light as possible because a bright light can inhibit behavior and cause mandarinfish to seek cover. When darkness forces me to use a light, I try to illuminate the fish with the dim periphery of the beam of my dim-by-choice dive light.

Each evening approximately 20 minutes before sunset small groups of female mandarinfish gather in locations where the same fish tend to gather night after night. Males soon come calling. The males strut their stuff by raising and flaring their fins in an effort to woo females and chase away competing males. Larger males tend to have more success in both endeavors.

When spawning, the pair rises to a height of two to three feet above the reef. In a brief instant at the height of their ascent a cloud of sperm and eggs are released.

This week’s POTW was captured in Yap in about 15 feet of water as a pair of mandarinfish reached the apex of their ascent. I pre-set the focus and tried to move the camera into position by bobbing my head in or out as needed. I do know some photographers that have successfully used their camera’s auto focusing system, but I find that my camera searches for focus when set to auto focus, and that too often I miss the perfect moment.

Males often mate with several females in a given night, but the action doesn’t last long so it pays to be ready to shoot as soon as you get a good opportunity, and it often takes a number of mandarinfish dives to enjoy photographic success even if you see mating the first time you try to observe these fishes. Photographing mandarinfish is one of those scenarios in which patience and perseverance often pay off.

I hope you enjoy this week’s POTW!