The reticulated dragonet (''Callionymus reticulatus'') is a species of dragonet native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it is found at depths of from . This species grows to a length of TL. This species has a flattened head and body, the head has a triangular shape with the eyes placed on the top of the head. It has two dorsal fins with the first one being triangular in shape. It has blue spots along the flanks and four saddle-like markings on their backs which have sharply defined outlines. It is similar to the

common dragonet The common dragonet (''Callionymus lyra'') is a species of dragonet which is widely distributed in the eastern North Atlantic where it is common near Europe from Norway and Iceland southwards. It is a demersal species that occurs over sand bottom ...

but is distinguished by its smaller size and the sharply defined border around the saddle markings on the back. The reticulated dragonet is found only in the eastern Atlantic Ocean from Norway Morocco, including the Azores, and into the western Mediterranean Sea at least as far as Malaga. In the North Sea it has been recorded as far east as the Kattegat. The reticulated dragonet is a

demersal The demersal zone is the part of the sea or ocean (or deep lake) consisting of the part of the water column near to (and significantly affected by) the seabed and the benthos. The demersal zone is just above the benthic zone and forms a layer of ...

species that occurs in inshore waters, even in the intertidal zone, over sandy substrates. Its prefers shallow, soft substrates, often in estuarine environments, although it has been recorded as deep as . A survey compared seagrass beds and unvegetated habitats did not find this species in seagrass beds and recorded it in low numbers in the unvegetated habitats. Its eggs and larvae are pelagic. Its food is mainly small

benthic The benthic zone is the ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean, lake, or stream, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers. The name comes from ancient Greek, βένθος (bénthos), meaning "t ...

invertebrates, mainly worms and crustaceans. In the North Sea its spawning season extends from March to June.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2105433 R Fish described in 1837