Dragonfish

Pegasus lancifer

Fish
IUCN: Least concern

Usual depth5–56 m
Water temperature14–28 °C
Best monthsFebruary, April, and September
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Julian Finn (Museum Victoria), some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Pegasus lancifer, the sculptured seamoth or sculptured dragonfish, is a species of seamoth which is endemic to the temperate seas of southern Australia and Tasmania. They are known to gather in large numbers in the shallows of estuaries. Individuals can bury themselves in the sediment and change colours to camouflage them. The male & female spawn as a pair, swimming with their vents touching around a 1 metre (3.3 ft) above the substrate, while the eggs and sperm are released. After spawning the pair separates and the eggs begin a pelagic phase.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Pegasus lancifer”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 9 records
February: 12 records
March: 3 records
April: 10 records
May: 10 records
June: 4 records
July: 6 records
August: 6 records
September: 11 records
October: 7 records
November: 8 records
December: 5 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 5–56 m · Deepest record: 59 m

0–10 m: 3 records
10–20 m: 0 records
20–30 m: 6 records
30–40 m: 8 records
40–50 m: 3 records
50–60 m: 8 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 14–28 °C

12–14 °C: 16 records
14–16 °C: 53 records
16–18 °C: 94 records
18–20 °C: 3 records
20–22 °C: 1 records
22–24 °C: 0 records
24–26 °C: 0 records
26–28 °C: 1 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Dragonfish, Sculptured Dragon-fish, Sculptured Dragonfish, Sculptured Seamoth, Seamoth

Names in 1 more languages

Simplified Chinese: 矛海蛾魚, 矛海蛾鱼

Other scientific names: Acanthopegasus lancifer, Parapegasus lancifer

Similar species

Longtail seamouth
Pegasus volitans
Brick Seamoth
Pegasus laternarius
Short-spined Seamoth
Pegasus tetrabelos
Short dragonfish
Eurypegasus draconis
Hawaiian Sea-moth
Eurypegasus papilio

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
199 open-data records from 1887 to 2008.
Species data updated November 5, 2026.

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