Dragonets

Scientific name : Callyonimidae

Family Callionymidae includes 9 genera and about 130 species, many living in tropical seas, often unobserved due to the small size and the cryptic habits. They are bottom fish, mostly living on sandy bottoms (few species live among the corals).
The naked, scaleless skin is covered with a slimy mucus layer, with a strong odour in many species, denominated stinkfish. The head is large and spiny, with prominant eyes, the small moth can extend in a downward tube. The body is elongated, with large fins, the dorsal fin is dividend into 2 parts, the first often tall and with coloured signals.
All bottom fishes, many species live on sandy bottoms where they can bury themselves. They are found in bay, lagoon, at the basis of the deep reef. When they move on the sand, or (the reef dwellers) among the corals, they skip along touching often the substrate with their fins.
They feed on small benthic invertebrates, usually collected among the seaweeds. They mate swimming in a pair upward, and releasing planktonic eggs.
Confusion is possible with other small bottom fishes. The number of dorsal fins distinguishes them from the blennies (1 long dorsal fin) and from the triplefins (3 dorsal fins). The shape of the spiny, triangular head, with small mouth, and the large and separated ventral fins distinguishes them from the gobies (2 dorsal fins).
Sandy bottom species have brown colour, often with complex ornamentations on the first dorsal fin. The rocky bottom species are more colourful, but usually cryptic, only few species are spectacular.

	Description	Author	Place	Size
	Dragonet's foreground	MATTEO GUARDINI	Indonesia, Lembeh strait	470 kB