Scientific Name
Pegasus laternarius  
Pronounce  
Pegasus laternarius海蛾魚
by: Lab of Fish Ecol. and Evo., BRCAS
Author Cuvier, 1816 Depth 1 - 50M
Chinese 海蛾魚 Poisonous Fish No 
Family_Chinese 海蛾魚科 Economic Fish No 
Family F293 Pegasidae Edible Fish No  Chinese In Mainland China 海蛾魚 
Max Length 8 cm  Aquarium Fish No  Common Name 短海蛾魚、海蛾魚 
Distribution in World India Ocean to West Pacific Ocean   Distribution in Taiwan West、North East 
Habitats Benthos、Estuary、Coastal、Lagoon、
Coral&Sand 
Holotype Locality Indian seas 
Synonyms Parapegasus volans, Parapegasus volitans, Pegasus volans, Pegasus volitans   
Reference 臺灣魚類誌(沈等, 1993);Fishes of Japan(Nakabo, 2002);Fishbase(2004);The Live Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific, Vol.4(FAO,1999)  Cuvier, G. 1816 沈世傑 編 Shih-Chieh Shen ed. 1993 Carpenter, K. E. etc. 1999 Nakabo T. 2002 Nakabo T. 2002 
Specimen List ASIZP0061955. ASIZP0070188. ASIZP0900430. CAS47305. FRIP00820. FRIP01377. NMNSF00876. NTMP0967.  
Common Name Dragonfish 
Redlist Status VU IUCN Redlist: Vulnerable(VU) A2cd 1996-08-01   
Characteristic Body depressed, completely encased in fused dermal plates: 4 pairs of dorsolateral body plates; 5 pairs ventrolateral body plates; deep pits on dorsal surface of head and within interorbital depression absent; 11 or more tail rings with 9th and 10th fused; suborbital shelf convex, obscuring eye from ventral view; last tail ring without spine on dorsal surface. No scales on orbit. Spinous dorsal fin absent; soft dorsal and anal fins each with 5 rays, placed posteriorly on body; pectoral fins large, 5th rays of pectorals stout, much thicker than other rays. Readily identified by its rather short rostrum when juvenile or female; it is more developed in males. It has a variety of colors and can be dull to bright yellow or blue. Preserved body dark brown dorsally and laterally; lighter ventrally.
habitats Adults lives on muddy bottoms, often collected at depths of about 50 m; larvae are planktonic. Rarely seen diving, except a few localities in Japan where they occur in sheltered muddy habitats. 
Distribution Distributed in the Indo-West Pacific from Gulf of Manaar, Indian Ocean to Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea, along the coast of southern China and Taiwan, extending as far north as Suruga Bay, Japan. It is found in northeastern and western Taiwanese wa 
Utility No commercial value.