Australia country information

Common names: Dragonfish, Sculptured dragonfish, Sculptured seamoth
Occurrence: endemic
Salinity: brackish
Abundance: | Ref:
Importance: | Ref:
Aquaculture: | Ref:
Regulations: | Ref:
Uses: no uses
Comments: Type locality of Pegasus lancifer, Tasmania. Known as far north and west as Rottnest Island, Western Australia and as far east as Lakes Entrance, Victoria; and as far south as Hobart, Tasmania (Ref. 75154). Also Ref. 1418.
National Checklist:
Country Information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html
National Fisheries Authority: http://www.csiro.au/
Occurrences: Occurrences Point map
Main Ref: Hoese, D.F., D.J. Bray, J.R. Paxton and G.R. Allen, 2006
National Database:

Common names from other countries

矛海蛾鱼, Dragonfish, Sculptured dragonfish, ... more

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Dactylopteriformes (Flying gurnards) > Pegasidae (Seamoths)
Etymology: Pegasus: Taken form the winged horse of Perseus in the ancient Greek, mithology (Ref. 45335); lancifer: From the Latin word 'lancea' meaning a light spear or lance..
More on author: Kaup.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 20 - 50 m (Ref. 75154). Temperate; 33°S - 45°S

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Eastern Indian Ocean: endemic to the temperate waters of southern Australia and Tasmania.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 9.1 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1418)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 5; Vertebrae: 22. Body light to dark brown, olive or blue dorsally and laterally, light brown ventrally. Tail rings 14, anteriormost 7 mobile, remaining 7 fused; terminal tail rings with dorsal and ventral pairs of posteriorly directed spines; rostrum square in cross section; interpectoral plate absent. 4 pairs dorsolateral body plates; 5 pairs ventrolateral body plates; suborbital shelf convex, obscuring eye from ventral view; deep pits on dorsal surface of head and within interorbital depression absent. Orbit with small scales.

A benthic species found inshore of the continental shelf in muddy, silty and sandy bottoms, usually with seagrass; intertidal to 50 m depth (Ref. 75154). Large numbers of individuals are known to congregate in the shallows of estuaries. The species is capable of burying itself in the sediment and change colors to match the background.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturities | Reproduction | Spawnings | Egg(s) | Fecundities | Larvae

Spawning occurs as male & female swim from vent to vent, about 1 meter off the bottom, while they release eggs & sperms. The pair separates and each swims away as the eggs begin a pelagic phase.

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Palsson, W.A. and T.W. Pietsch, 1989. Revision of the Acanthopterygian fish Family Pegasidae (Order Gasterosteiformes). Indo-Pac. Fish. (18):38 p. (Ref. 1418)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 10 May 2016

CITES (Ref. 128078)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

FAO(Publication : search) | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Check for Aquarium maintenance | Check for Species Fact Sheets | Check for Aquaculture Fact Sheets

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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 14.6 - 18, mean 16 (based on 31 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5781 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm Total Length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.3 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).

Pegasus lancifer Kaup, 1861