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Dragonets are small perciform marine fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
 of the diverse family Callionymidae (from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 kallis, "beautiful" and onyma, "name"). Found mainly in the tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeography region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia....
, the family contains approximately 186 species in 18 genera. The Draconettidae
Draconettidae

Draconettidae is a small family of fish in the order Perciformes. They are found in temperate to tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and western Pacific Oceans....
 may be considered a sister family, whose members are very much alike though rarely seen. Due to similarities in morphology and behaviour, dragonets are sometimes confused with members of the goby
Goby

The gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm in length....
 family.

e "little dragon
European dragon

European dragons are legendary creatures in folklore and mythology among the overlapping culture of Europe. The word for dragon in Germanic mythology and its descendants is wiktionary:worm , meaning snake or serpent....
s" are generally highly colourful with cryptic patterns.






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Encyclopedia


Dragonets are small perciform marine fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
 of the diverse family Callionymidae (from the Greek
Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European languages native to the southern Balkan peninsula, the language of the Greek people. It forms an independent branch within Indo-European....
 kallis, "beautiful" and onyma, "name"). Found mainly in the tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific
Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific is a biogeography region of the earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia....
, the family contains approximately 186 species in 18 genera. The Draconettidae
Draconettidae

Draconettidae is a small family of fish in the order Perciformes. They are found in temperate to tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and western Pacific Oceans....
 may be considered a sister family, whose members are very much alike though rarely seen. Due to similarities in morphology and behaviour, dragonets are sometimes confused with members of the goby
Goby

The gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm in length....
 family.

Physical description

These "little dragon
European dragon

European dragons are legendary creatures in folklore and mythology among the overlapping culture of Europe. The word for dragon in Germanic mythology and its descendants is wiktionary:worm , meaning snake or serpent....
s" are generally highly colourful with cryptic patterns. Their bodies are elongate and scaleless; a strong spine guards the preopercle (part of the gill
Gill

A gill is an anatomical structure found in many aquatic ecosystem organisms. It is a respiration organ whose function is the extraction of oxygen from water and the excretion of carbon dioxide....
 cover), which has been reported to be venomous in some species. All fins are large, showy and elongate; the first high dorsal fin usually has four spines; in males, the first of these spines may be further adorned with filamentous extensions. Dragonets have flattened, triangular heads with large mouths and eyes; their tail fins are fan-shaped and tapered.

The largest species, the longtail dragonet (Callionymus gardineri) reaches a length of . At the other end of the scale, the Saint Helena dragonet (Callionymus sanctaehelenae) reaches a length of just . Many species exhibit marked sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism

Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species. Examples include color , size, and the presence or absence of parts of the body used in courtship displays or fights, such as ornamental feathers, horns, antlers or tusks....
: males and females are coloured and patterned differently, and (in addition to the spine filament) males have a much higher dorsal fin. This theme is taken to extremes in the high-finned dragonet (Synchiropus rameus).

Behaviour

Dragonets are benthic
Benthos

Benthos are the organisms which live on, in, or near the seabed, also known as the benthic zone. They live in or near marine sedimentary environments, from tidal pools along the Intertidal zone, out to the continental shelf, and then down to the Abyssal zone....
 animals, spending most of their time on or near the bottom. They prefer sandy or rocky substrates, sometimes near reef
Reef

In nautical terminology, a reef is a Rock , bar , or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water .Many reefs result from abiotic processes?deposition of sand, wave erosion planning down rock outcrops, and other natural processes?but the best-known reefs are the coral reefs of tropical waters developed through biotic processes do...
s. Inhabiting depths down to about 200 metres, dragonets feed mostly on crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s, worm
Worm

A worm is a common name given to a diverse group of invertebrate animals that have a long, soft body and no legs. There are hundreds of thousands of species of worms, 2,700 of these are earthworms....
s and other small invertebrate
Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal lacking a vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal species ? all animals except those in the Chordate subphylum vertebrate ....
s rooted out from the substrate. The dragonet's large pectoral fins serve as a primary means of propulsion. Males are highly territorial between themselves.

Reproduction


Spawning involves elaborate courtship displays; the males show off their flashy fins and repeatedly open and close their mouths. If the female is interested, pairing occurs and the two fish rise upwards with male supporting the female on his pectoral fins. Eggs and sperm are released in midwater, where fertilization takes place. The buoyant eggs subsequently become part of the plankton
Plankton

Plankton consist of any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. Plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than their Phylogenetics or taxonomy classification....
, drifting with the currents until hatching.

In aquaria


The most common commercially available dragonets are the mandarin dragonet, the psychedelic mandarin dragonet and the ocellated dragonet, or scooter blenny. They are considered to be reef safe
Reef safe

Reef safe is a distinction used in the saltwater aquarium hobby to indicate that a fish or invertebrate is safe to add to a reef aquarium. There is no fish that is completely reef safe....
 and do best in reef aquariums of 55 gallons or larger with large amounts of live rock. There are many reports of spawning in captivity, but it is difficult to find dragonets that have been born and bred in captivity because they require a considerable area of sand or rock to find enough food.

Although their bright colours and showy fins make them a popular choice for the aquarium
Aquarium

An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. fishkeeping use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants....
, most dragonets are picky eaters and will only accept live food, making them difficult to keep in captivity. They do not readily accept prepared foods and often starve
Starvation

Starvation is a severe reduction in vitamin, nutrient, and energy intake, and is the most extreme form of malnutrition. In humans, prolonged starvation causes permanent organ damage and, eventually, death....
 soon after purchase. As stated earlier, larger tanks are desired because they can support a larger population of the copepod
Copepod

Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every fresh water habitat . Many species are planktonic , but more are benthos , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests, bogs, springs, ephemeral ponds and puddle...
s and amphipods which make up the bulk of their diet in the wild. Some success has been had feeding brine
Brine shrimp

Brine shrimp is the English name of the genus Artemia of aquatic crustaceans. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, have evolved little since the Triassic period....
 or mysis shrimps.

See also

  • List of fish common names
    List of fish common names

    This is a list of fish common names. While some common names refer to a single species or family , others have been used for a confusing variety of different types; the articles listed here should explain the possibilities if the name is ambiguous....
  • List of fish families
    List of fish families

    This is a list of fish family sorted alphabetically by scientific name.#A - #B - #C - #D - #E-F - #E-F -#G - #H - #I-K - #I-K - #I-K -#L - #M - #N - #O - #P - #R - #S - #T - #U-Z - #U-Z - #U-Z - #U-Z - #U-Z - #U-Z...


External links