Callionymus corallinus Gilbert, 1905
This fish is actually in my book, but these wonderful photos by John Horn, taken off Kauai at a depth of about 40 ft., look very different than the fish in the book. Thinking that John's fish might be something new, I sent his photos to dragonet specialist Ronald Fricke. He replied that the photos are of a female Callionymus corallinus and that the species can vary quite a bit in color. The unusual common name reflects the fact that males have a large dorsal fin with marks that look like exclamation points! They raise this fin when courting females--wish I had a photo! Speaking of names, the scientific name given in my book, Synchiropus corallinus, has recently been changed to Callionymus corallinus.
Below is what I believe is another photo of a female, taken in Kona some years ago. This species is found in Hawaii, Japan, Tonga, New Caledonia, and Australia. It prefers cool subtropical waters.
