Hawaii winged steed
| Hawaii winged steed | ||||||||||||
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Hawaiian winged steed ( Eurypegasus papilio ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Eurypegasus papilio | ||||||||||||
| ( Gilbert , 1905) |
The Hawaiian winged steed ( Eurypegasus papilio ) is a species from the family of winged steed (Pegasidae) and is only endemic to the north-central Pacific near Hawaii .
features
The Hawaiian winged steed grows to about three inches long. Like all winged steed it has a conspicuous, elongated and tubular snout. The body is rounded, provided with bumpy elevations on the back and clearly set off from the tail fin stalk. It is armored by three pairs of dorsolateral (on the sides of the back) and four pairs of ventrolateral (on the sides of the abdomen) bone plates. The bone ridges on the abdomen are exactly the same size as those on the back and are covered with laterally directed denticles . The caudal fin stalk is surrounded by eight, and in rare cases nine, bony rings. In the middle of the top of the last bone ring of the tail fin stalk sits a backward-directed thorn. The eyes are not visible from above, but they are visible from below.
The Hawaiian winged steed is colored olive to yellow-olive on the back and sides, the belly is whitish. Three indistinct, double, reddish bands encircle the trunk and tail. The only dorsal fin sits on the caudal fin stalk and, like the anal fin, is supported by five soft fin rays. The pectoral fins are fan-shaped. The number of vertebrae is 19.
Distribution and way of life
The Hawaiian winged steed occurs close to the ground at depths of 80 to 290 meters (mostly above 115 meters) near Hawaii in the north central Pacific. In the rest of the tropical Indo-Pacific it is replaced by its sister species Eurypegasus draconis ( vicarious species ). Larvae and juvenile fish live planktonically and are often fished out of the Neuston with plankton nets .
literature
- Rudie H. Kuiter : Seahorses, pipefish, shredded fish and their relatives . Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001 ISBN 3-8001-3244-3
Web links
- Hawaiian winged steed on Fishbase.org (English)
- Eurypegasus papilio inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013.2. Posted by: Sorensen, M. & Vincent, A., 2008. Retrieved February 7, 2014.