Creature Feature – Dragonet
This week is the letter ‘D’, and today’s featured creature is the Dragonet.
There are almost 150 species of dragonet worldwide, with the common dragonet the most common species found here in UK waters. Common dragonets are often confused with gobies.
Taxonomy
Scientific Name: Callionymus lyra
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Order: Callionymiformes
Family: Callionymidae
Genus: Callionymus
Common Dragonet Fact File
Size: Individuals can reach up to 30cm in length and weight up to 180g
Distribution::This species can be found residing over sandy or muddy seabeds, usually in water down to 50m across the UK and Europe
Diet: A scavenger, they feed on a wide range of small crustaceans and marine worms
Behaviour: Dragonets are scaleless. The males may be brightly coloured once sexually mature, in contrast to the usually drab females. Male common dragonets are territorial and they aggressively defend their territories from other males
IUCN Status: Least Concern. There are no known major threats, however they are of some importance to local fisheries and can be taken as bycatch
Male Common Dragonet © Hans Hillewaert
