On June 1, 2010, the Marshall Islands Postal Service issued a new stamp featuring the Mandarin Goby.
Part of a family of fish known as dragonets, the spectacular Mandarin Goby, also known as the Mandarinfish, possesses a scaleless body covered with an intricate pattern of many hues. The Mandarin Goby's name comes from its brilliantly vivid colors, evoking the robes of an Imperial Chinese mandarin. Its unique coloration makes this fish a very popular addition to private aquariums throughout the world, although its finicky eating habits can make it difficult to keep. It feeds primarily on small crustaceans and other invertebrates. Native to the Pacific Ocean, this truly beautiful fish ranges from approximately the Ryukyu Islands south to Australia. In the Marshall Islands, where several species of Mandarinfish live, these attractive creatures inhabit the islands' plethora of shallow lagoons and inshore reefs.
