Phyllopteryx
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Weedy sea dragon | |
|---|---|
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| Illustration by Ferdinand Bauer | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Syngnathidae |
| Subfamily: | Syngnathinae |
| Genus: | Phyllopteryx Swainson, 1839 |
| Species: | P. taeniolatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Lacepède, 1804) |
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| Phyllopteryx taeniolatus range. | |
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, the weedy sea dragon or common sea dragon, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. It is the only member of the genus Phyllopteryx. It is found in water 3 to 50 m deep around the southern coastline of Australia, approximately between Port Stephens, New South Wales and Geraldton, Western Australia, as well as around Tasmania. Weedy sea dragons are named for the weed-like projections on their bodies that camouflage them as they move among the seaweed beds where they are usually found.
Weedy sea dragons can reach 45 cm in length. They feed on tiny crustaceans and other zooplankton, from places such as crevices in reef, which are sucked into the end of their long tube-like snout. They lack a prehensile tail that enables similar species to clasp and anchor themselves. Phyllopteryx taeniolatus swim in shallow reefs and weed beds, and resemble drifting weed when moving over bare sand.[1]
Sea dragons, sea horses and pipefish are the only known species where the male carries the eggs.
The male of the species carries the fertilized eggs, attached under his tail, where they are incubated for about eight weeks. The young are independent at birth, beginning to eat shortly after. [1] Mating in captivity is rare since researchers have yet to understand what biological or environmental factors trigger them to reproduce. In captivity the survival rate for weedy sea dragons is about 60%.[2]
A more cryptic relative of the weedy sea dragon is the leafy sea dragon Phycodurus eques. In the November 2006 issue of National Geographic magazine, marine biologist Greg Rouse is reported as investigating the DNA variation of the two sea dragon species across their ranges.
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California in the USA, Melbourne Aquarium in Australia and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the USA[3] are the only facilities in the world to have successfully bred weedy sea dragons in captivity, though others occasionally report egg laying.[4] As of June 2008, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, USA had a pregnant sea dragon, which was expected to give birth in early-mid July.[5]
The weedy sea dragon is the marine emblem of the State of Victoria.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Morrison, Sue; Storrie, Ann (1999). Wonders of Western Waters: The Marine Life of South-Western Australia. CALM. pp. 68. ISBN 0 7309 6894 4.
- ^ Newsvine/Associated Press 12 June 2008
- ^ Tennessee Aquarium Website
- ^ "Weedy Seadragons spawn for Hong Kong aquarist". AquaDaily. 2008-07-18. http://aquadaily.com/2008/07/18/weedy-seadragons-spawn-for-hong-kong-aquarist/. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- ^ "Endangered sea dragon at Ga. aquarium pregnant". http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080613/ap_on_fe_st/odd_pregnant_sea_dragon_4.
- ^ Dept of Sustainabilty and Environment Victoria
- Connolly (2006). Phyllopteryx taeniolatus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 09 May 2006.
[edit] External links
Media related to Weedy sea dragon at Wikimedia Commons- Australian Museum Online - Leafy and Weedy Seadragons
- Leafy Seadragons and Weedy Seadragons
- Weedy Sea Dragon Monitoring Program in Botany Bay
- Leafy Sea Dragon Festival
- Weedy Sea Dragon
- Youtube Male Weedy Seadragon with eggs
- Youtube Weedy Seadragon
- Male Weedy Sea Dragon carrying eggs
