E+draconis

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=Eurypegasus draconis- Little dragonfish or Short dragonfish = =  = = =
 * __Animal Classification__ **
 * Genus and species name- Eurypegasus draconis
 * Class- Actinopterygll
 * Order- Gastersteiformes
 * Family- Pegasidae


 * __Endangered Species Act__ **
 * Year assessed- 1996
 * Justification- dated efficient, we do not know enough about this specie


 * __Location__**
 * Little dragonfish lives in waters of Indian Ocean and Central Pacific
 * Indian Ocean has a latitude of 20 00 S and Central Pacific with a latitude of 15 00 N
 * Little Dragonfish lives on sand or silt bottoms in bays or estuaries
 * Also in seagrass beds in lagoons
 * Near Reefs
 * Benthic




 * __Physical Habitat Features__**
 * Little Dragonfish lives in Saltwater with a salinity of at least 30 ppt.
 * The Temperature is between 72-83 degrees F, and 22-28 degrees C
 * The currents it lives in are Agulhas Current, East Madagascar Current, Somali Current, Mozambique Current, Leeuwin Current, Indonesian through-flow, North Equatorial Current, South Equatorial Current, Indian Monsoon
 * The tidal range is between 1.01 meters High Tide through 0.46 meters Low Tide
 * Geologic Processes of Indian Ocean- Active Sea- Floor Spreading, Plate Tectionics, Earthquakes


 * __Migration Patterns__**
 * This animal mostly undertakes a daily vertical migration
 * Seasonal migration
 * Travel to a daytime depth of 1,600-3,300 feet
 * Travel near the surface at night
 * Before sunrise it swims back down again
 * This is a upward migration, used as a method for feeding
 * Not territorial
 * Live in low densities


 * __Population__**
 * The population of the Little Dragonfish is unknown because there is not enough information
 * Population is decreasing, decline in abundance


 * __Survival Trends__**
 * Little dragonfish will camouflage to mimic color and texture of substrate
 * They will also bury into sand on bottom of sea floor
 * Puff up to scare away predators
 * If scared, they will flare their broad pectoral fin and move away very quickly




 * __Appearence Of Species__**
 * Grows to about 8cm in length
 * It can camoflouge on the sea floor and resemble a shell
 * Small mouths
 * Toothless
 * Males have a blue or white pectoral fine
 * Long Rostrum
 * Body resembles broken shells or rubble


 * __Reproduction__**
 * These species are non-guarders
 * Fertilization is external
 * One seasonal peak per year
 * Open water egg scatterers
 * Broadcast spawners
 * About 30 eggs are laid by the male for around 5-6 weeks
 * Mate from July-December
 * Monogamous mating system
 * Pairs spawn at dusk
 * Peak of spawning rise, they release pelagic eggs
 * Embryos hatch in 24-29h
 * In 27.2 degrees C
 * Produce few young
 * Gestation can be up to two years
 * Both parents care for young
 * There is not enough information to identify how long parents care for young


 * __Animal Anatomy__**
 * Distinctive shape
 * Bony Armour
 * 3 pairs of dorsolateral body plates
 * 4 pairs of ventrolateral body plates
 * 8 tail rings
 * Eyes usually visual
 * 3 inches, 8 cm
 * Sheds skin in one piece every 1-5 days, this is to rid themselves of offensive organism
 * Because this is not an ordinary fish, the internal anatomy of this animal is unknown
 * An ordinary fish would have the following
 * air bladder
 * spinal chord
 * gall bladder
 * Kidney
 * Anus
 * brain
 * dorsal aorta
 * lateral line
 * Intestine
 * Brain
 * Eyes


 * __Food Chain Web__**
 * They have a natural diet
 * Live foods
 * Eats prawns and shrimps
 * Mollusks
 * Phytoplankton
 * Benthic invertebrate
 * Amphipods
 * Copepods
 * Isopods
 * Live brine
 * Daytime feeders
 * Predators of
 * Crabs
 * Mantarays
 * Tuna
 * Penguin

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 * __Economic Importance__**
 * Used in Aquarium trade
 * Trade is expanding
 * Used in china and Hong Kong to treat respiratory ailments and cancers
 * Commercially used in Asia
 * Sold in dried fish trade
 * Used for traditional Chinese medication


 * __Threats/Reasons for Endangermen__t**
 * Caught incidentally in illegal trawl gear in the Philippines
 * Loss of alteration of habitat
 * Fishing and wildlife hunting
 * Vulnerable to human distu rbance
 * Increasing costal developments
 * Boating can impact the habitat
 * Urban run off
 * Dredging and sewerage
 * Over-harvesting
 * Caught illegally in Philippines
 *  43,000-62,000 were caught were caught live for aquarium trade
 * Pollution
 * Caught as source of food
 * Dragonfish sushi roll




 * __Conservation Efforts__**
 * It is now illegal to catch or keep the animal without a license or permit
 * It will result anywhere from fines to 3 months in prison


 * __Solutions__**
 * Do not pollute waterways
 * Do not damage habitats or seagrasses
 * Support the idea of not fishing and catching endangered species such as the Little dragonfish
 * Avoid any fishing and killing of Little dragonfish

__**Scavenger Hunt **__<span style="color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">


 * 1) <span style="color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">What is one survival trend of the Eurypegasus draconis?
 * 2) <span style="color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">How long can the Little Dragonfish grow to?
 * 3) <span style="color: rgb(0,0,0); font-family: 'Arial Black', Gadget, sans-serif;">What is one thing dragonfish eat and what is one thing that eats it?




 * __Sources__**
 * 1) []
 * 2) []
 * 3) http://www.fishbase.org/summary/SpeciesSummary.php?id=4606
 * 4) http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/E/Eurypegasus_draconis/
 * 5) http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20qgo=http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Reproduction/FishReproSummary.php%3FID%3D4606%26GenusName%3DEurypegasus%26SpeciesName%3Ddraconis%26fc%3D286%26StockCode%3D4793
 * 6) []
 * 7) []
 * 8) []
 * 9) []
 * 10) []
 * 11) http://www.animalaqua.com/dragon-fish/
 * 12) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=E5462BB228BD8761869E44FBAE246D72.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=255501
 * 13) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woDR2FjwXxw
 * 14) http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/zoo/fish/seamoths/eurypegasus/Edraconis.htm
 * 15) http://www.springerlink.com/content/b2h7p13761u23w72/
 * 16) http://www.seadb.univpm.it/en_Little-sea-moth-little-dragonfish-Eurypegasus-draconis_678.htm
 * 17) http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?c=720&pCatId=2224
 * 18) http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/120103090/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
 * 19) http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fisheries/species-protection/protected-species/marine-or-estuarine-species/syngnathiformes
 * 20) http://stewards.conservation.org/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=1230&mode=2&in_hi_userid=126617&cached=true
 * 21) http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/grze_04/grze_04_00271.html
 * 22) http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/Members_and_Friends/Volunteer/Volunteers_Only/images/httseptoct04.pdf
 * 23) ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/x2400e/x2400e18.pdf
 * 24) http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=3A950DEE182BB64B67DFC42D6EA455E3.tomcat1?fromPage=online&aid=255501
 * 25) []
 * 26) []