Animalia Life
Pegasus lancifer
FAMILY
Pegasidae
TAXONOMY
Pegasus lancifer Kaup, 1861, Australia.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Snout very slender but not very elongated (longer in males),
ending in a spatulate tip; snout clearly demarcated from head
and bearing four spiny ridges. Eyes large and round. Mouth
small and protrusible, located ventral to the snout base. Head
triangular anteriorly. Head and trunk regions are depressed
and broad (broader in females), encased in fused bony plates
that bear prominent ridges forming a star pattern. Single dorsal
fin posterior to the trunk, with five rays; opposite anal fin
also has five rays. Tail long and slender, with bony ridges, ending
in a truncate caudal fin with eight to nine rays. Pectoral
fins very wide and fanlike when expanded, with 18 rays. Pelvics
resemble hooks, with one spine and three rays. Coloration
sandy-brown or grayish above, with darker spots on pectorals,
a dark longitudinal stripe on the trunk, and a dark stripe at
base of the tail; pale underneath. Reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm)
in length.
DISTRIBUTION
Restricted to southern Australian waters from South Australia
to Tasmania.
HABITAT
A bottom-dwelling species occurring in many different coastal
habitats, including estuaries, sea grass beds, and sandy bottoms,
down to about 180 ft (55 m).
BEHAVIOR
This species can change its color to match that of its surroundings.
It also can burrow into the substrate to escape predators.
It often “walks” or “crawls” over the bottom in search of small
crustaceans or other food items. Many individuals may congregate
in estuaries.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Eats a variety of small invertebrates, such as polychaetes, mollusks,
and crustaceans. Their mouths are somewhat protrusible,
enabling them to snatch prey from the bottom with ease. Presumably
eaten by larger fishes.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Enters sandy bays to breed in the spring, when courtship takes
place. During courtship, a female and male remain on the bottom,
side by side, until they rise together to spawn, vent to
vent, about 3.3 ft (1 m) off the bottom. The posterior tips of
the pectoral fins of males become yellow during the reproductive
period. The eggs are pelagic, and larvae up to 0.1 in (2.5
mm) are enclosed in a dermal sac, probably an adaptation to a
pelagic existence.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Not a commercial species.
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