Phycodurus
Last updated
Katieleeosborne · via Wikipedia: Leafy seadragon · CC BY-SA 4.0
The leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) is a marine fish and the only member of its genus within the family Syngnathidae.[1] The species is found only in southern Australian waters.[2] The species is colloquially called "leafies" and holds the status of South Australia's marine emblem.[3][4]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassActinopterygii
- DivisionTeleostei
- OrderSyngnathiformes
- FamilySyngnathidae
- GenusPhycodurus
- SpeciesPhycodurus eques
Named by (Günther, 1865)
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Leafy seadragon (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 282248 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.24 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Leafy seadragon
Where the phycodurus has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,423 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 19 inland records left out (institution coordinates). 1 isolated far-off record not drawn.
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Biology and range
The Aquarium of the Pacific notes these seadragons occur from the surface to depths of 30 meters.[5] Its scaleless body is covered in hard bony plates.[5] Shallow-water individuals are yellow-brown or greenish with dark pink rib bands and green-brown leafy appendages.[5] The maximum length is about 35 cm.[5]
The lobes of skin provide camouflage that makes it resemble seaweed.[6] The male cares for the eggs, which the female deposits onto his tail.[7] This fish is typically located over sandy areas in water depths reaching 50 m, near rocks covered with kelp and seagrass clusters.[8] Using its elongated snout, the leafy seadragon consumes small crustaceans like amphipods and mysid shrimp, along with plankton and larval fish.[7]
What the specialist sources record
The Aquarium of the Pacific states that leafy seadragons were listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List until 2006.[5] That source estimates their longevity in the wild at seven to ten years.[5] The same account notes they depend on camouflage, including the ability to change color, to hide from predators.[5] The Fishes of Australia account describes the genus Phycodurus as a seadragon genus found only in southern Australia.[9]
The World Register of Marine Species records the species as Phycodurus eques (Günther, 1865), accepted within the family Syngnathidae.[10] GBIF holds 2,295 occurrence records for this taxon.[11]
References
- Wikipedia, "Leafy seadragon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gomon, "Phycodurus", Fishes of Australia, n.d. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Leafy seadragon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Pollom, R., "Phycodurus eques", 2017; Morrison, "Wonders of Western Waters", Department of Conservation and Land Management, 1999, p. 112 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Leafy seadragon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Leafy Sea Dragon", Yankalilla Visitor Information Centre; "Animals: Leafy Sea Dragon", National Geographic (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Leafy seadragon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Leafy Seadragon", Government of South Australia: Insignia and Emblems; "The Adelaide University Skindiving Club", The Adelaide University Skindiving Club; "Marine Life Society of South Australia", mlssa.asn.au (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Online Learning Center: Leafy Seadragon", Aquarium of the Pacific. facts only, no text reused. aquariumofpacific.org
- Wikipedia, "Leafy seadragon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cott, "Adaptive Coloration in Animals", Oxford University Press, 1940, p. 341–342 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Leafy seadragon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Leafy Sea Dragon", Yankalilla Visitor Information Centre (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Leafy seadragon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Leafy Sea Dragon", Yankalilla Visitor Information Centre; "Leafy sea dragon", Underwater Photography Guide Website; Neville Coleman, "Victor Harbour (sic)", Underwater Australia (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Gomon, "Phycodurus", Fishes of Australia, n.d.. facts only, no text reused. fishesofaustralia.net.au
- World Register of Marine Species, Phycodurus eques (AphiaID 282248). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Phycodurus eques (taxon key 2332986). 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 Leafy seadragon (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.
More in Seahorses and Pipefish
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.
- Wikipedia: Leafy seadragon (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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