普通话鱼-The Courtship Dance

On the reefs of the Pacific, twilight marks the beginning of the mandarinfish courtship dance. A male begins dancing, and if he’s desirable, an interested female will join. Just before the sun sets, the two fish will rise up out of the reef together to mate, cheek-to-cheek.

Named after the brightly colored robes of the Imperial Chinese Mandarin, these fish are a mazy pattern of vivid blue, green, pink and yellow. Mandarins are one of 182 species ofdragonets，但是到目前为止最丰富多彩。

普通话在西太平洋地区发现是北方的日本人Ryukyu Islandsto Australia, and live in protected, often shallow, inshore reefs. Popular places for divers to see them include Palau, Yap, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The tiny fish are usually only 2-3 inches long and are active all day in the reef, foraging for tiny crustaceans and other invertebrates living in the coral.

通常，日间喂食远在珊瑚礁内部发生，所以只能看到蓝色或绿色的丝。但在晚上，一切都发生了变化。

普通话鱼类交配

日落前一小时，普通话活动增加，你可以在礁石上的开放中发现它们。由他们长的尖端鳍识别的较大的雄性将试图对法庭较小的女性。普通话弄脏了礁石，迅速扭曲它们的鳍几乎像蜂鸟 - 那就像是漂亮，也难以用手动前向胸鳍拍摄和爬上珊瑚礁的小珊瑚礁。

Activity increases as sunset approaches, and males can be seen slightly chasing a female, which obliges him by letting him chase her for a bit, stopping briefly to watch him, and then letting him chase her again. If all goes well, just as the sun sets, the female will rest on the male’s pelvic fin and the two will rise up above the reef a few feet, cheek-to-cheek. This can happen a few times, rising up and then returning to the reef for a chase, and then rising up again. Eventually, if all goes well, the two will rise up and simultaneously release their eggs and sperm, which fertilize in the water column and drift down into the reef to eventually hatch the next generation.

How to See Them

To see mandarinfish mate, divers have to be in the right place at the right time, and -as always- have a little luck.

第一步是在日落前大约一小时到已知有普通话的珊瑚头。找到一只雌性（没有长尖的背鳍的较小的鱼）并观察它。随着太阳开始设置，希望更大的男性会出来并开始求爱舞蹈。

It’s vital to keep your eyes on the pair, as they will dart in and out of the reef. When it gets too dark to see without a flashlight, the two will rise a few feet out of the reef to release their eggs and sperm.

They get scared and stop courting if there is excessive movement, lots of bubbles, or lots of light. Some dive shops require all flashlights to be covered in red plastic, as they seem to be less bothered by red light than bright, white light.

It is best to try and hold as still as possible, and sit and watch. Beware ofscorpionfish是唯一一个已知的普通话掠夺者之一，因为他们喜欢坐下来等待他们伴侣，然后在珊瑚礁上升时吃它们！

Other Cool Mandarin Facts

普通话鱼是缺乏鳞片的很少的海洋鱼之一。相反，它们具有粘稠的皮肤，涂在粘液中并闻起来很可怕。这保护它们免受皮肤寄生虫，并使它们味道可怕，进一步保护它们免受捕食者。他们的鲜艳着色也意味着他们没有味道的掠食者。

他们的蓝色在脊椎动物世界中也是独一无二的，因为它们是只有两个物种（另一个是另一个龙头圈），具有叫做Cyanophores的蓝色色谱。染色体是含有彩色颜料并反射光的细胞中的细胞器。蓝色整体是一种罕见的颜色，但所有其他的蓝色颜色都是由于光的薄膜干扰，这使得动物显得蓝色，但它并不是蓝色。

威胁

普通话鱼are threatened due to their beauty. They are a popular aquarium fish, and there are a few cases of mandarins breeding in captivity, therefore almost every mandarin in a tank was taken from the wild. They are also very hard to care for, and many end up dying soon after being introduced to tank life.

就像海洋中的所有鱼一样，它们也受到珊瑚礁破坏，气候变化和污染的威胁。他们的浅薄，岸边的栖息地通常是第一个在亚洲某些国家的炸药捕鱼丢失沿海开发或失去的境地。

The mandarinfish is an exciting fish for any diver to see, and is definitely worth a twilight dive to spot their vibrant colors and hopefully a glimpse of a pair mating.

Further Reading

Going Deep and Dark - Penetrating the Wrecks of Truk Lagoon

半圆形神仙鱼

Cleaner Wrasse

Kayak Diving