Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Syngnathiformes (Order) > Callionymoidei (Suborder) > Callionymidae (Family) > Callionymus (Genus)

Dragonnet des mangroves, Common dragonet, Little sand-dragonet, Mangrove dragonet, Ocelled sand-dragonet, Split-fin sand-dragonet, Hanabi-numeri, Kogata-hanabi-numeri, ハナビヌメリ, ガタハナビヌメリ,

Synonymes
Callionymus altidorsalis (Wang & Ye, 1982)
Callionymus calliste (Jordan & Fowler, 1903)
Callionymus distethommatus (Fowler, 1941)
Callionymus enneatics (Bleeker, 1879)
Callionymus hudsoni (Fowler, 1941)
Callionymus wilburi (Herre, 1935)
Paradiplogrammus distethommatus (Fowler, 1941)
Paradiplogrammus enneactis (Bleeker, 1879)
Paradiplogrammus enneactis calliste (Jordan & Fowler, 1903)

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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-9 (usually: 8); Anal soft rays: 7-8 (usually: 7); Caudal spine: 9; Pectoral fin rays: 16. Body elongated, longitudinally flattened. The occipital region is smooth. Gill openings dorsal. Preopercular spines: 0.17-0.29 times the length of the head, the ends of the spines are curved upwards, the ventral edge is smooth, the dorsal edge has 3 curved spines, and the base has a small inverted spine. The lateral line extends from the eye to the end of the ray of the third branch of the caudal fin, and the occipital region has a transverse lateral line connecting the two lateral lines on the body side. First dorsal fin in male very high, first spine with a long filament. The first dorsal fin of male fish is higher, the first and third spines of smaller specimens are extended into filaments, the first and third spines of larger specimens are equal in length, but the filamentous ends are shorter; The first dorsal fin of females is low and not the second dorsal fin of male and female fish is straight or slightly concave; The dorsal and anal fins are not branched except for the last fin ray; The pectoral fin extends to the second to the fourth anal fin ray strip base. No ventrolateral fold of skin. Max. length: 8.0 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 15 m.

Color
A mosaic-patterned dragonet with a large black ocellus between 3rd and 4th dorsal-fin spines, a barred pattern below the cheek, dark saddles along the body, and dark markings on the anal fin.

Etymology
Callionymus: from Greek, kallos = good, beautiful + from Greek suffix, -onym = name, word, with a better name. Callionymus (Linnaeus, 1758) is also the latinization of kallionymos, Aristotle’s name for stargazers (Uranoscopidae), which Linnaeus apparently confused with dragonets.
enneactis: from ancient Greek, ennea = nine + from ancient Greek, akantha = spine, ray. Referring to nine rays in second dorsal fin (correct number is eight; Bleeker counted the last ray, which is branched, as two rays).
Original description: Callionymus enneactis Bleeker, 1879 - Type locality: Singapore.

Distribution
Eastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Singapore east to Guam and Solomon Islands, north to central Japan, south to northern Australia and New Caledonia. Possibly restricted to China, Taiwan and Japan.

Biology
Occurs in sand and mud bottoms from brackish mangrove areas and in coral reef lagoons.

Similar species
Callionymus pleurostictus (Fricke, 1982) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here) - No ventrolateral fold of skin. Head shape: eyes high, snout more pointed. Asymmetrical caudal fin in males.
Callionymus parvus (Nakabo, 1984) - Reported from Southeastern Indian Ocean, western Pacific: Malaysia and Indonesia, north to Japan, south to northern Australia.
Callionymus rivatoni (Fricke, 1993) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here) - First dorsal fin in males with a large distal black spot on the second membrane, the anal fin with a narrow distal black margin in females, the distal half of the anal fin black in males.