The ruby seadragon (''Phyllopteryx dewysea'') is a marine

fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

in the family

Syngnathidae The Syngnathidae is a family of fish which includes seahorses, pipefishes, and seadragons (''Phycodurus'' and '' Phyllopteryx''). The name is derived from grc, σύν (), meaning "together", and (), meaning "jaw". The fused jaw is one of the t ...

, which also includes

seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...

s. It inhabits the coast of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. The

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

was first described in 2015, making it only the third known species of seadragon, and the first to be discovered in 150 years. A specimen found on shore in 2007 was long. The team that discovered this species named the marine fish after its color. They believe it is so red because it inhabits the deeper waters, where red hues are absorbed more efficiently, and thus being red colored can aid in camouflage. In April 2016, researchers used an underwater camera to film a video of a live specimen for the first time, publishing their findings in January 2017. The video confirmed that the ruby seadragon has stumpy lobes, rather than the longer (

common Common may refer to: Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts * Clapham Common, originally com ...

) or elaborate (

leafy LEAFY (abbreviated LFY) is a plant gene that causes groups of undifferentiated Cell (biology), cells called meristems to develop into flowers instead of leaves with associated shoots. ''LEAFY'' is involved in floral meristem identity. ''LEAFY'' ...

) lobes that protrude from the other seadragons in the family Syngnathidae. Based on records, many assumed that the ruby seadragon normally lives at depths beyond normal scuba range and diving limits, which may explain why it went undiscovered for so long. The species is found more often offshore in deeper waters. Scientific papers have been done by the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

and

Scripps Institution of Oceanography The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (sometimes referred to as SIO, Scripps Oceanography, or Scripps) in San Diego, California, US founded in 1903, is one of the oldest and largest centers for oceanography, ocean and Earth science research ...

in San Diego. The ruby seadragon has a

prehensile tail A prehensile tail is the tail of an animal that has adapted to grasp or hold objects. Fully prehensile tails can be used to hold and manipulate objects, and in particular to aid arboreal creatures in finding and eating food in the trees. If the ta ...

, which means it can use its tail to hold and manipulate objects. Other species of seadragon do not have this type of tail, so this could point to an evolutionary cause. It is unknown if they developed this trait or if the other species lost it over time.

References

External links

*
Fishes of Australia : ''Phyllopteryx dewysea''
*

ruby seadragon The ruby seadragon (''Phyllopteryx dewysea'') is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which also includes seahorses. It inhabits the coast of Western Australia. The species was first described in 2015, making it only the third known specie ...

Marine fish of Western Australia

{{Syngnathiformes-stub

See also

References

External links