DRAGONETS

DRAGONETS, flattened, bottom-living fish,  rarely grow to more than 12 inches (30 cm) in length. They have flat, depressed heads and slender bodies, but many are so beautifully colored that they resemble some of the tropical reef fish. There are no scales on the body.

Two species are found along European shores: the common dragonet, Callionymus lyra, and the spotted dragonet, C. maculatus. The female is rather dull-colored, but the male is a splendid fish, especially in the breeding season. His back is red-yellow with blue markings, and the flanks and lower part
of the head are orange, again with blue spots and marks. There are two blue bands along the body, and the fins are marked with blue, yellow, and green. The differences between the sexes are so striking that they were once thought to be quite different species, the’sordid’ and the ‘gemmeous’ dragonets. Spawning takes place in spring and summer, with the male swimming around the female and displaying gill covers and fins until the female is sufficiently stimulated. The two then swim together to the surface, close together, with the anal fins forming a gutter into which eggs and sperm are shed.

The spotted dragonet is a smaller fish and can be distinguished by the three or four rows of ocellated spots instead of bands along the dorsal fin. FAMILY: Callionymidae, ORDER: Perciformes, CLASS: Pisces.