CALLIONYMIDAE


Dactylopus dactylopus, FRLM 26400, 9.4 cm SL
(from Bitung, Sulawesi, Indonesia)


Dactylopus dactylopus (Valenciennes, 1837)
Fingered dragonet

D IV - 8; A 7; P1 19. Body subcylindrical or slightly compressed; no transverse canal branch connecting opposite lateral line canals on caudal peduncle. Distal part of dorsal fin spines elongate and usually filiform; all rays of second dorsal fin branched; spine and first ray of pelvic fin connected together, free from other rays. Color: head and body brownish with various-sized pale brown spots. Size: 25 cm. Distribution: Andaman Sea, west coast of Australia, and West Pacific. Remarks: inhabits coastal shallow sandy-mud bottoms, especially seagrass beds. Carnivorous, feeds on small mollusks, polychaetes, and crustaceans. Often marketed locally.