Synchiropus moyeri is a nearly unknown species of colorful dragonet from the Western Pacific which is much rarer than the common aquarium fish the red scooter blenny, Synchiropus stellatus. Although moyer’s dragonet and the red scooter blenny look very much alike, Synchiropus moyeri is believed to speciate due to strong behavioral differences, which may include mate and habitat selection. With a beautiful white to red to pink body coloration, Moyer’s dragonet often has a distinct black ocellated spot in the dorsal fin as clearly visible in the specimen starring in this dive video.
Like many other dragonets Synchiropus moyeri has very cute juvenile coloration which can be all white, red or pink with adults growing up to develop a beautiful speckled appearance, and retaining a much stronger red coloration in adulthood than the red scooter ‘blenny’. This dive video shows a gorgeous juvenile of Moyer’s dragonet with its intricate pattern fo red and white spotting, black dorsal fin and yellow edges which would be an irresistible aquarium pick if this species ever became abundant enough to be targeted for captive breeding efforts – we can only hope.
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/47347195[/vimeo]
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