The texture of a mandarinfish's skin is smooth and slimy, without the
tough scales of most fish species. Some species of dragonet have a strong odor,
which makes me think this may be a type of defense mechanism. In this
shot the extreme length of the folded spinous dorsal fin's most forward
spine is clear-- over one third the length of the entire fish.
Identification: Synchiropus splendidus
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