While blue appears to be a common color, there are only two #fish that actually have #blue pigment! The rest simply reflect light in a way that makes them look blue. The brilliantly colored mandarinfish is one of those two species - the other, called a picturesque dragonet, is lovely but nowhere near as electric. #tropicalfish #aquariumfish #color #natureisamazing (at Shedd Aquarium) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvpksN3BHp_/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=hsz9ofmw5emj
I find this slightly hard to believe- what about fish that have blue coloration on their innards?
Great question! These are photos of lingcod: their flesh is normally white, but occasionally they (and other closely related species) are found with blue-green flesh.
The pigment that causes their coloration is biliverdin, which is actually a green pigment - it’s the same pigment responsible for the coloration of some eggshells, and that makes bruises greenish.
I haven’t been able to find a paper yet that talks about what the specific pigment(s) are that are in the cyanophores of mandarin fish and picturesque dragonets, but I’ll report back if I find out more!





















