Randall’s assessor – Assessor randalli – ツバメタナバタウオ – size 4cm
The Randall’s assessor is not a very common fish. They are small basslets that live in caves. They swim upside down. That is not so uncommon for fish in caves. Even fish that normally swim right side up will often turn upside down to feed on the roof of a cave where most of the food is found in caves. Amami 2023
Randall’s assessor in a cave. They are hard to photograph in dark caves. It is hard for the camera to focus on them and just the lack of light. Amami 2025
The Randall’s assessors live in a school with a dominate male. It is said that the male broods the eggs in its mouth. I could not confirm this though. Amami 2025