Teleostei (teleosts) >
Dactylopteriformes (Flying gurnards) >
Pegasidae (Seamoths)
Etymology: Eurypegasus: Greek, eurys = long + Greek, Pegasus, pege = springs of Ocean near which Medusa was said to have been killed; the winged horse, sprung from the blood of Medusa (Ref. 45335); papilio: From the Latin word 'pipilio' meaning butterfly.
More on author: Gilbert.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; demersal; depth range 80 - 291 m, usually 80 - 115 m (Ref. 58302). Tropical; 28°N - 20°N
Eastern Central Pacific: known only from the Hawaiian Islands.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 7.6 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 583)
Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 5; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 5; Vertebrae: 19. Body color olivaceous to yellow olive dorsally and laterally; whitish ventrally; 3 indistinct, double bands of light red on carapace and tail. Species with 3 pairs of dorsolateral body plates; 4 pairs of ventrolateral body plates; a pair of deep pits on dorsal surface of head; 8 (rarely 9) mobile tail rings; concave suborbital shelf, eyes visible in ventral view. Dorsal and ventral ridges of rostrum almost equally expanded with laterally directed denticles. Medial spine on dorsal surface of last tail ring posteriorly directed.
Inhabits moderately deep water (Ref. 1418). Benthic (Ref. 58302). Larvae and juveniles are often collected in neuston and plankton nets, and midwater trawls (Ref. 1418).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Palsson, W.A. and T.W. Pietsch, 1989. Revision of the Acanthopterygian fish Family Pegasidae (Order Gasterosteiformes). Indo-Pac. Fish. (18):38 p. (Ref. 1418)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 4.8 - 13.7, mean 6.4 °C (based on 6 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.7656 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01000 (0.00244 - 0.04107), b=3.04 (2.81 - 3.27), in cm total length, based on all LWR estimates for this body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.2 ±0.4 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
