Common Dragonet
Callionymus lyra
Sailfin dragonet
Callionymus pusillus
About
The sailfin dragonet is a small, flat-bottomed fish of sandy seabeds, named for the male's long, trailing dorsal fin that streams behind him like a sail.
How to tell it apart
Other dragonets can look similar, but the male's tall second dorsal fin with filaments trailing well beyond the tail is a mark few other species share. Females are harder to tell apart and are best identified alongside a male of the same species.
Appearance
This fish has a low first dorsal fin followed by a taller second dorsal fin, whose long rays stretch out into filaments that reach past the tail. Males are brightly coloured, with silvery lines edged in black running across the body and blue streaks on the fins. Females are plainer, beige with small whitish spots.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
