Ocellated dragonet
| Ocellated dragonet | |
|---|---|
| |
| Male Scooter Dragonet | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Callionymidae |
| Genus: | Neosynchiropus |
| Species: | N. ocellatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Neosynchiropus ocellatus (Pallas, 1770)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The ocellated dragonet, scooter dragonet or scooter blenny (Neosynchiropus ocellatus) is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Callionymidae. It is native to parts of the Pacific Ocean, and can be found from southern Japan to the Marquesan Islands.
Taxonomy
[edit]This species is placed in Synchiropus by some authors (since some consider that Neosynchiropus is a synonym of Synchiropus). Also, despite one of its common names being "scooter blenny", the ocellated dragonet is not a blenny, and is instead allied with seahorses and pipefishes.
Description
[edit]The scooter dragonet grows to approximately 8 cm (3.1 in). It is brown and tan with a striped or spotted pattern; males are usually more colorful, and possess a large sail-like dorsal fin that is bright orange at the base. When viewed from above, the scooter dragonet is distinctly diamond-shaped, with the horizontal pectoral fins located at the two widest points.
Habitat
[edit]The scooter dragonet is a reef-associated bottom-dwelling fish that inhabits shallow, tropical waters, usually sandy lagoons or rocky reefs.
Biology
[edit]This species tends to form loose congregations of several individuals, but does not exhibit schooling behavior or other forms of social cooperation. The diet consists almost entirely of copepods; however, in captivity, the scooter dragonet can often be acclimated to consuming frozen or even artificial foods (such as flakes).
References
[edit]
- Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Synchiropus ocellatus". FishBase. December 2008 version.
External links
[edit]- Fishes of Australia : Neosynchiropus ocellatus
- Photos of Ocellated dragonet in the Sealife Collection