Weedy sea dragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus)
Weedy seadragons are found among coral reefs, seagrass beds and seaweeds off the south coast of Australia. Like their close relatives the seahorses, male seadragons incubate the eggs in brood pouches, supplying oxygen to the eggs through their own blood vessels.
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About the Weedy sea dragon
Phyllopteryx taeniolatus, the weedy sea dragon or common sea dragon, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. It is the only member of the genus Phyllopteryx. It is found in water 3 to 50 m deep around the southern coastline of Australia, approximately between Port Stephens, New South Wales and Geraldton, Western Australia, as well as around Tasmania. Weedy sea dragons are named for the weed-like projections on their bodies that camouflage them as they move among the seaweed beds where they are usually found.
Weedy sea dragons can reach 45 cm in length. They feed on tiny crustaceans and other zooplankton, from places such as crevices in reef, which are sucked into the end of their long tube-like snout. They lack a prehensile tail that enables similar species to clasp and anchor themselves. Phyllopteryx taeniolatus swim in shallow reefs and weed beds, and resemble drifting weed when moving over bare sand.
Sea dragons, sea horses and pipefish are the only known species where the male carries the eggs.
The male of the species carries the fertilized eggs, attached under his tail, where they are incubated for about eight weeks. The young are independent at birth, beginning to eat shortly after. Mating in captivity is rare since researchers have yet to understand what biological or environmental factors trigger them to reproduce. In captivity the survival rate for weedy sea dragons is about 60%.
A more cryptic relative of the weedy sea dragon is the leafy sea dragon Phycodurus eques. In the November 2006 issue of National Geographic magazine, marine biologist Greg Rouse is reported as investigating the DNA variation of the two sea dragon species across their ranges.
The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California in the USA, Melbourne Aquarium in Australia and the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the USA are the only facilities in the world to have successfully bred weedy sea dragons in captivity, though others occasionally report egg laying. As of June 2008, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, USA had a pregnant sea dragon, which was expected to give birth in early-mid July.
The weedy sea dragon is the marine emblem of the State of Victoria.
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Scientific Classification
Order: Syngnathiformes
Genus: Phyllopteryx
Species: Phyllopteryx (taeniolatus)
Common Names
- Common seadragon
- Lucas' sea-dragon
The Weedy sea dragon is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Conservation Status
The Weedy sea dragon is Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Population trend: Unknown
Year assessed: 2006
Elsewhere on the web
- Weedy seadragon - Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (arkive.org)
- Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Weedy seadragon fact file (australianmuseum.net.au)
- Fishbase facts (fishbase.org)
- Phyllopteryx (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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