Phyllopteryx is a genus of small fishes, commonly called seadragons, in the family Syngnathidae that are found along the western and southern coasts of Australia. Since the 19th century, the weedy or common seadragon was the only known species, until the description of the ruby seadragon in 2015.[1][2] They are closely related to other members of the Syngnathidae such as the leafy seadragon, pipefish and seahorses, which all exhibit male pregnancy.
| Phyllopteryx | |
|---|---|
| |
| |
| Phyllopteryx taeniolatus above, Phyllopteryx dewysea below | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Syngnathidae |
| Subfamily: | Syngnathinae |
| Genus: | Phyllopteryx Swainson, 1839 |
| Type species | |
| Syngnathus foliatus Shaw, 1804
| |
Species
editTwo species are recognised:[3][4]
- Common seadragon or weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) (Lacepède, 1804)
- Ruby seadragon (Phyllopteryx dewysea) Stiller, Wilson, & Rouse, 2015
References
edit- ^ "Rare Ruby Seadragon uncovered in Western Australia". Western Australian Museum. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
- ^ Geggel, Laura (18 February 2015). "Ruby-Red Sea Dragon Is Brand-New Species". livescience.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Phyllopteryx". FishBase. June 2017 version.
- ^ Stiller, Josefin; Wilson, Nerida G.; Rouse, Greg W. (18 February 2015). "A spectacular new species of seadragon (Syngnathidae)". Royal Society Open Science. 2 (2): 140458. Bibcode:2015RSOS....240458S. doi:10.1098/rsos.140458. PMC 4448810. PMID 26064603.