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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
leafy
sea dragon |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Osteichthyes |
| ORDER: |
Syngnathiformes |
| FAMILY: |
Syngnathidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Phycodurus
eques |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
Particularly
well camouflaged with elaborate, ornate skin filaments
that hang from the head, body and tail making this
animal virtually indistinguishable from the floating
sea weed in which it lives. Usually green to yellow
in color. The body is covered in protective jointed
plates instead of scales and long, sharp spines
line its dorsal edge. |
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| SIZE: |
Maximum
length 35 cm |
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| DIET: |
Mysids
and amphipods |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
2-3
years in aquaria. Unknown in the wild. |
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| RANGE: |
South
Australia on kelp reefs from 4-30 meters. Western
Australia found deeper than 20 meters. Victoria
found deeper than 30 meters. |
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| HABITAT: |
Temperate
waters over sand patches among kelp reefs and in
protected coastal bays. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown.
Very limited baseline info available regarding population
and reproduction rates. |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Listed
on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as Data
Deficient |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
| REGIONAL |
Protected
in Australia by the following:
Listed as Totally Protected Species in South Australian
Waters.
Listed as Protected Aquatic Biota in Victoria.
Listed as Totally Protected fish Status in Western
Australian Waters.
Subject to export controls of the Commonwealth Wildlife
Protection (Regulations on Exports and Imports)
Act of 1982. |
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| 1. |
The
male sea dragon incubates the fertilized eggs in
a specialized spongy textured brood patch on the
ventral surface of his tail. This area is composed
of small cup-like indentations which each hold a
single egg layed there by the female. It is during
the transfer of the eggs from the female to the
male that they are fertilized. The approximately
250 eggs remain attached until they hatch 4 to 6
weeks later. Sea dragons are completely independent
upon hatching. The young feed on the remaining yolk
sac and then graduate to consuming zooplankton. |
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| 2. |
Sea dragons do not have any predators. Their combination
of excellent camouflage, tough jointed plates and
sharp dorsal spines offer adequate protection. Researchers
have even observed sea dragons curling up to present
predators with the row of menacing spines. |
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| 3. |
For
more information about bony fishes, explore the
bony
fishes info book. |
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| Pressure
from poaching for aquarium hobbyists, curio seekers
and Chinese traditional medicine market. Vulnerable
to pollution from run-off and storm damage to kelp
reefs. Protected by legislation in Vicoria, South
Australia and Western Australia. The "Dragon
Search" project managed by Australia's marine
and Coastal Community Network records sightings
by the public in an effort to monitor the number
and size of sea dragon populations. |
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|
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Government
of Australia's Department of the Environment and
Heritage
www.deh.gov.au/coasts/species/marine-fish/syngnathidae32.html
1/4/05 |
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Marine
Biology
www.marinebio.com 1/4/05 |
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San
Franciso State University Department of Geography
http://bss.sfsu.edu:224/courses/Fall99Projects/seadragon.htm
1/4/05
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Government
of Western Australia Department of Fisheries
www.fish.wa.gov.au/rec/broc/fishcard/dragon.html
1/4/05 |
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World
Wildlife Fund Australia
www.wwf.org.au 1/4/05 |
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