CALLIONYMUS PLEUROSTICTUS - (FRICKE, 1982)
Picture courtesy of: Alain Daoulas
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Syngnathiformes (Order) > Callionymoidei (Suborder) > Callionymidae (Family) > Callionymus (Genus)
Dragonnet ponctué, Blue-spotted ruddertail dragonet, Spotted dragonet, Chishima-tokubire, ゴマイトヒキヌメリ, Cá đàn lia,
Synonymes
Calliurichthys pleurostictus (Fricke, 1982)
Pseudocalliurichthys pleurostictus (Fricke, 1982)
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Description
Dorsal spines (total): 4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-9; Anal soft rays: 7; Pectoral fin rays: 13-16; Caudal fin spine: 7. Body elongate and depressed. Head depressed. Snout somewhat long. Eye large. Interorbital space very narrow and somewhat concave. Gill-opening oval, located midway between dorsoposterior margin of eye and upper origin of pectoral fin. Preopercular spine straight and long with an antrorse process at base; Innerside serrated with 3-12 very small processes. Upper jaw protractile, its posterior end almost reaching anterior margin of eye. A pair of nostrils before eyes. Teeth on jaws villiform, in broad bands. Palatine and prevomer toothless. Anal papilla conical, more elongate in male than in female. Cephalic lateral line system developed; Infraorbital canal simple, reaching only posteroventral margin of eye; Postocular commissure not connected with preoperculomandibular canal. Lateral line single, running along upper side of body, curved downward at caudal peduncle and extending a little beyond caudal fin base. First dorsal fin beginning midway between gill opening and upper origin of pectoral fin in male and a little more posteriorly in female; First spine elongate and filamentous in male, but not in female. Second dorsal fin elevated posteriorly in male, becoming lower posteriorly in female; Dorsal rays unbranched except for last; Last ray divided at base; Anterior branch of last ray divided distally. Anal rays in creasing in length posteriorly and unbranched except for last; last ray divided at base; Anterior branch of last ray divided distally. Pectoral fin; Upper half slightly concave, lower half convex and reaching 4th dorsal ray in male; Somewhat pointed and almost reaching 4th dorsal ray in female. Pelvic fin rounded, reaching 1st anal ray. Upper half of caudal fin slightly concave, lower half convex. Max. length: 5.2 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 42 m, usually: 1 - 20 m.
Color
Body marbled light brown dorsally, with 3 series of small dark spots on side below lateral line, somewhat light brown ventrally in male; Marbled light brown dorsally, with 5 patches of dark marks on side below lateral line and white ventrally in female. Head below eye and ventral surface with many small dark spots in male only. Ventral surface of lower jaw black in male, white in female. Throat with an inverse V-shaped darker mark in male only. First dorsal fin dark with some vermicular dark lines in male, and with a large black mark on upper half of 2nd and 3rd membrane in female. Second dorsal fin with about 4 series of short longitudinal dark lines and faint dark lines between them in male; Transparent and some dark spots on each ray in female. Anal fin dark in male, transparent in female. Pectoral fin with many dark spots in male, with some dark spots on upper half in female. Pelvic fin with some dark spots. Caudal fin, in male upper half almost transparent, middle part with some oblong marks margined with dark brown and lower half dark with about 4 transverse series of darker marks; In female almost transparent with some dark spots on each ray on lower half.
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.
pleurostictus: from Greek, pleura = side, rib + from Latin, stictus = spot. In reference of the 3 series of small dark spots on side below lateral line.
Original description: Callionymus pleurostictus Fricke, 1982 - Type locality: Bay of Nhatrang, Vietnam.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Vietnam and eastern Indonesia east to Solomon Islands, north to Amami Islands (southern Japan), south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Fish species identification confirmed by Dr Ronald Fricke from State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart. Photography showing a female.
Similar species
Callionymus enneactis (Bleeker, 1879) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here) - Has distinctive dorsal fin with large pale-edged black ocellus between 3rd and 4th spine, and barred pattern below cheek.
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.
Actinopterygii (Gigaclass) > Actinopteri (Class) > Teleostei (Subclass) > Syngnathiformes (Order) > Callionymoidei (Suborder) > Callionymidae (Family) > Callionymus (Genus)
Dragonnet ponctué, Blue-spotted ruddertail dragonet, Spotted dragonet, Chishima-tokubire, ゴマイトヒキヌメリ, Cá đàn lia,
Synonymes
Calliurichthys pleurostictus (Fricke, 1982)
Pseudocalliurichthys pleurostictus (Fricke, 1982)
------------------------------
Description
Dorsal spines (total): 4; Dorsal soft rays (total): 8-9; Anal soft rays: 7; Pectoral fin rays: 13-16; Caudal fin spine: 7. Body elongate and depressed. Head depressed. Snout somewhat long. Eye large. Interorbital space very narrow and somewhat concave. Gill-opening oval, located midway between dorsoposterior margin of eye and upper origin of pectoral fin. Preopercular spine straight and long with an antrorse process at base; Innerside serrated with 3-12 very small processes. Upper jaw protractile, its posterior end almost reaching anterior margin of eye. A pair of nostrils before eyes. Teeth on jaws villiform, in broad bands. Palatine and prevomer toothless. Anal papilla conical, more elongate in male than in female. Cephalic lateral line system developed; Infraorbital canal simple, reaching only posteroventral margin of eye; Postocular commissure not connected with preoperculomandibular canal. Lateral line single, running along upper side of body, curved downward at caudal peduncle and extending a little beyond caudal fin base. First dorsal fin beginning midway between gill opening and upper origin of pectoral fin in male and a little more posteriorly in female; First spine elongate and filamentous in male, but not in female. Second dorsal fin elevated posteriorly in male, becoming lower posteriorly in female; Dorsal rays unbranched except for last; Last ray divided at base; Anterior branch of last ray divided distally. Anal rays in creasing in length posteriorly and unbranched except for last; last ray divided at base; Anterior branch of last ray divided distally. Pectoral fin; Upper half slightly concave, lower half convex and reaching 4th dorsal ray in male; Somewhat pointed and almost reaching 4th dorsal ray in female. Pelvic fin rounded, reaching 1st anal ray. Upper half of caudal fin slightly concave, lower half convex. Max. length: 5.2 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 42 m, usually: 1 - 20 m.
Color
Body marbled light brown dorsally, with 3 series of small dark spots on side below lateral line, somewhat light brown ventrally in male; Marbled light brown dorsally, with 5 patches of dark marks on side below lateral line and white ventrally in female. Head below eye and ventral surface with many small dark spots in male only. Ventral surface of lower jaw black in male, white in female. Throat with an inverse V-shaped darker mark in male only. First dorsal fin dark with some vermicular dark lines in male, and with a large black mark on upper half of 2nd and 3rd membrane in female. Second dorsal fin with about 4 series of short longitudinal dark lines and faint dark lines between them in male; Transparent and some dark spots on each ray in female. Anal fin dark in male, transparent in female. Pectoral fin with many dark spots in male, with some dark spots on upper half in female. Pelvic fin with some dark spots. Caudal fin, in male upper half almost transparent, middle part with some oblong marks margined with dark brown and lower half dark with about 4 transverse series of darker marks; In female almost transparent with some dark spots on each ray on lower half.
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.
pleurostictus: from Greek, pleura = side, rib + from Latin, stictus = spot. In reference of the 3 series of small dark spots on side below lateral line.
Original description: Callionymus pleurostictus Fricke, 1982 - Type locality: Bay of Nhatrang, Vietnam.
Distribution
Western Pacific: Vietnam and eastern Indonesia east to Solomon Islands, north to Amami Islands (southern Japan), south to northern Australia and New Caledonia.
Biology
Fish species identification confirmed by Dr Ronald Fricke from State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart. Photography showing a female.
Similar species
Callionymus enneactis (Bleeker, 1879) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here) - Has distinctive dorsal fin with large pale-edged black ocellus between 3rd and 4th spine, and barred pattern below cheek.
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.
Diplogrammus goramensis (Bleeker, 1858) - Reported from New Caledonia - Unbranched infraorbital canal, very short upward and downward branches of lateral line. Anal fin dark with many darker spots. First dorsal spine is extended with a filament in males. This species has double series of small pearly spots along lower sides.
Last update: 26, May 2023