Frogfish and Dragonets Codexery

Spotted dragonet

A small benthic dragonet of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.

Last updated

Spotted dragonet

Libby Keatley · via Wikipedia: Spotted dragonet · CC BY 4.0

Males reach a total length of 16 cm and females 13 cm, according to one source, while another gives 15 cm for males and 11 cm for females.[1][2] The spotted dragonet possesses a body that is ventrally flat and dorsally convex, along with a broad, flattened head.[1] On the top of the head, the large eyes are positioned close together, and the mouth is protractile.[3]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderSyngnathiformes
  6. FamilyCallionymidae
  7. GenusCallionymus
  8. SpeciesCallionymus maculatus

Named by Rafinesque, 1810

Close relatives

Other species of Callionymus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Spotted dragonet (CC BY-SA 4.0) · differs from this box at order: WoRMS AphiaID 126793 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Least Concern (LC)

  1. LC▲ this species
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2015

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Spotted dragonet and a personA 0.16 m long spotted dragonet drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.16 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.16 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Spotted dragonet

Where the spotted dragonet has been recorded

Where the spotted dragonet has been recorded130 mapped locations from 52,997 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (52,997 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 6 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

The species is found in the eastern North Atlantic from Iceland and Norway south to Senegal, and also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea, including the Adriatic and Aegean, but is absent from the Black Sea.[4] It lives on sand substrates as a benthic fish.[5] The spotted dragonet thrives in slightly deeper water than the common dragonet, most frequently between 30 and 650 meters.[2] A study off the coast of Scotland found the spawning season extends from April to September, with females reaching maturity faster than males and being serial spawners.[5]

Compared to larger individuals, smaller specimens consume a higher proportion of amphipods and a lower proportion of polychaetes.[6]

What the specialist sources record

The Marine Flora and Fauna of Norway notes that the snout is slightly shorter than the eye diameter and significantly shorter than the snout of the common dragonet.[2] The same source states the species appears most frequently between 30 and 650 meters depth.[2] The World Register of Marine Species records the accepted name as Callionymus maculatus Rafinesque, 1810, in the family Callionymidae and order Callionymiformes.[7] GBIF holds 53,550 occurrence records for this taxon as of 7 October 2026.[8]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Spotted dragonet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Spotted Dragonet - Callionymus maculatus", The Marine Flora and Fauna of Norway; (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Spotted Dragonet - Callionymus maculatus", The Marine Flora and Fauna of Norway. facts only, no text reused. seawater.no
  3. Wikipedia, "Spotted dragonet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Alwyne Wheeler, "The Pocket Guide to Salt Water Fishes of Britain and Europe", Parkgate Books, 1992, p. 139; "Spotted Dragonet - Callionymus maculatus", The Marine Flora and Fauna of Norway (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Spotted dragonet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ; Smith-Vaniz, W.F., "Callionymus maculatus", 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Spotted dragonet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Smith-Vaniz, W.F., "Callionymus maculatus", 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Spotted dragonet" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Aspects of the biology of the spotted dragonet Callionymus maculatus Rafmesque-Schmaltz from the west coast of Scotland", Journal of Fish Biology, 1979, p. 555–569 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. World Register of Marine Species, Callionymus maculatus (AphiaID 126793). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
  8. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Callionymus maculatus (taxon key 2386887). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Spotted dragonet (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Test yourself on TriviaCafe: What is the scientific name of the Spotted dragonet: Callionymus belcheri, Callionymus maculatus, Antennarius… · More science trivia

More in Dragonets

CallionymidaeSynchiropusCallionymus belcheriCommon dragonetOcellated dragonetSynchiropus monacanthusSynchiropus phaetonPicturesque dragonetSynchiropus splendidus

Elsewhere in Frogfish and Dragonets

Fowlerichthys · FrogfishAbantennarius drombus · FrogfishAntennarius indicus · FrogfishAntennatus strigatus · FrogfishButler's frogfish · FrogfishEchinophryne crassispina · Frogfish

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

Spotted an error? Know more?

Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced

Comments

Loading…
Open in the interactive codex →