Least Concern· population trend unknown· assessed 2019

Mandarinfish

Synchiropus splendidus

Sighting evidence at Dauin Marine Sanctuary, Dumaguete

Photo: François Libert · CC BY-NC-SA

Mandarinfish shelter within rubble coral patches at Dauin by day but emerge at dusk in a brief, spectacular mating ritual where males display to females before the pair rises together to spawn at the surface. Timed night dives at sunset can produce sightings of dozens of individuals across a single patch of rubble.

Evidence at this site

2 records within 25 km

Confidence: low

Last confirmed Mar 2026

Seasonality

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

How is this calculated?

Sighting evidence is compiled from iNaturalist observation records within a set proximity radius, filtered for quality-grade observations. “Last confirmed” is the date of the most recent research-grade record. Record count covers a rolling 24-month window. Confidence reflects record count, recency, and consistency of seasonal signal.

Mandarinfish

Evidence at this site

Seasonality

Also seen at other sites