Hawaiian sea-moth fish

The Hawaiian sea-moth fish (Eurypegasus papilio) is a species of fish in the family Pegasidae. It is endemic to Hawaii. The only other species in the genus is Eurypegasus draconis.

Hawaiian sea-moth fish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Pegasidae
Genus: Eurypegasus
Species:
E. papilio
Binomial name
Eurypegasus papilio
Synonyms

Pegasus papilio Gilbert, 1905

Distribution and habitat

This species is endemic to the Hawaiian islands but not much is known about its biology.[2] They are demersal and sometimes collected by fishing trawls, with ranges from 80 to 291 meters.[3]

Anatomy

Eurypegasus papilio generally have 8 tail rings and reaches 7.6 cm.[4][5] Their bodies are flat and encased in bone plates, believed to be for protection against predators. They shed their armor to get rid of parasites up to once every 5 days.[2] They have an interesting feeding mechanism that involves their jaws. Their jaws cannot be seen when their mouths are closed due to being covered by the lachrymal and being tucked in a cavity made by the nasal rostrum. The upper jaw unfolds when the lower jaw sinks, which makes the oral cavity expand and form a tube.[6] This tube mouth is then used by the Eurypegasus papilio to suck up their prey, which happens to be tiny invertebrates living in their demersal habitat.[2]

Reproduction

Eurypegasus papilio reproduces through spawning.[4]

See also

References
  1. Pollom, R. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Eurypegasus papilio". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T8408A115087526. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T8408A67626237.en. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  2. "Hawaiian Seamoth Culture - Fish Culture Research". Frank Baensch. 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  3. "Eurypegasus papilio, Hawaiian sea-moth fish". www.fishbase.se. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  4. "Hawaiian Sea-moth Fish - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  5. McGrouther, Mark (2021-03-30). "Little Dragonfish, Eurypegasus draconis (Linneaus, 1766)". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 2022-03-14.
  6. Pietsch, Theodore W. (1978). "Evolutionary Relationships of the Sea Moths (Teleostei: Pegasidae) with a Classification of Gasterosteiform Families". Copeia. 1978 (3): 517–529. doi:10.2307/1443620. ISSN 0045-8511. JSTOR 1443620.


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