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Sand Dragonet
Repomucenus calcaratus (Macleay, 1881)
A Sand Dragonet at a depth of 5m, Shelly Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, April 2003. View larger image.
The Sand Dragonet has a flattened head and an elongate body. There is a large spine on the preoperculum (glossary) that is directed down and forward.
This fish is sandy coloured above with small grey spots or rings. It is paler below with larger grey blotches along the sides. There is a dark blotch posteriorly on the short-based first dorsal fin.
The Sand Dragonet grows to 28cm in length.
It occurs in temperate marine waters of southern Australia, from southern Queensland to southern New South Wales, and from Kangaroo Island, South Australia to the central coast of Western Australia.
View a low resolution movie clip (79k) of this species. Go to the movies page for high and low resolution versions.
Further reading
- Edgar, G.J. 1997. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books. Pp. 544.
- Gomon, M.F. in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Gary Allen. Pp. 437.
