Dragonets are small, percomorph, marine fish of the diverse family Callionymidae found mainly in the tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific. They are benthic organisms, spending most of their time near the sandy bottoms, at a depth of roughly two hundred meters. There exist 139 species of the fish, in nineteen genera.
Callionymus is a genus of dragonets found mostly in the Indian and Pacific oceans with a few species occurring in the Atlantic Ocean.
Callionymus afilum, the Northern Australian longtail dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the Pacific Ocean around Papua New Guinea and Australia.
The Australian stinkfish also known as the Northwestern Australian sawspine dragonet, is a species of dragonet only found in the Indian Ocean off of northwestern Australia. This species grows to a length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in) TL.
The lancer dragonet, Baird's dragonet, coral dragonet or St Helena dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean where it occurs at depths of from 1 to 91 metres. In the western Atlantic it occurs from Cape Hatteras southwards along the east coast of North America. including Bermuda and the Bahamas, into the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean Sea. It has also been recorded from Ilha da Trindade off Brazil. In the eastern Atlantic it has been recorded from the Cape Verde Islands, Ascension Island, St. Helena, and Sao Tome e Principe in the Gulf of Guinea. This species grows to a length of 11.4 centimetres (4.5 in) TL.
Callionymus belcheri, Belcher's dragonet or the flathead dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the Pacific Ocean waters off of Australia and Papua New Guinea where it occurs at depths of from 18 to 36 metres.
Callionymus bifilum, the Northwestern Australian deepwater dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the Indian Ocean off of western Australia.
Callionymus colini, the Tiny New Guinea longtail dragonet, is a species of dragonet endemic to the Pacific Ocean waters around Papua New Guinea. The specific name honours Dr Patrick L. Colin, of the University of Papua New Guinea's Motupore Island Research Station in Port Moresby, who collected the type specimen.
Callionymus draconis, the Japanese spiny dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to temperate regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans around Japan and western Australia where it occurs at depths of around 138 metres (453 ft). This species grows to a length of 9 centimetres (3.5 in) SL.
Gross's stinkfish is a species of dragonet found in the waters off of northwestern Australia. This species grows to a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) TL.
Callionymus kailolae, Kailola's deepwater dragonet or the Northwestern ocellated dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the Indian Ocean off of western Australia where this deep-water species is found at depths of from 200 to 204 metres. The specific name honours Patricia Kailola of Newnham, Tasmania who published a photograph of the new species, "in appreciation of her interest in callionymid fish research".
The Rough-headed dragonet is a species of dragonet native to the waters off of northern Australia. This species grows to a length of 25 centimetres (9.8 in) TL.
Callionymus ochiaii, the Japanese lowfin deepwater dragonet, is a species of dragonet found in the Pacific waters around Japan. The specific name honours the Japanese ichthyologist Akira Ochiai.
Callionymus pleurostictus, the blue-spotted ruddertail dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the Pacific Ocean where it is found from the Ryukyus south to Australia. This species occurs at depths of from 1 to 20 metres. This species grows to a length of 2.3 centimetres (0.91 in) SL.
The Sailfin dragonet is a species of dragonet common in the Eastern Atlantic, where it occurs on the Portuguese coast to as far north as Lisbon and south to Morocco, and also in the northern Mediterranean including the Adriatic, Aegean and Black seas as well as the coastsLebanon and Israel. It occurs on the southern Mediterranean shore as far east as Tunisia Males of this species grows to a length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in) TL while females reach a length of 10 centimetres (3.9 in) TL. In the areas of the Mediterranean where it occurs it is one of the commonest dragonet species, as it is the only species that has been recorded within many protected areas. It is a benthic species which occurs in shallow waters and prefers sandy bottoms down to 100 metres (330 ft). The males are territorial, aggressively defend their territories from other males and like other dragonets this species undergoes complex breeding behaviour which has 4 phases. This starts with courtship, the male and female then form a pair before ascending to the surface where they release eggs and milt. The spawning season runs from May to August in the Mediterranean and the eggs and larvae are pelagic. This species feeds mainly on small benthic invertebrates such as worms and small crustaceans.
Callionymus regani, Regan’s deepwater dragonet, is a species of dragonet known only from the Saya de Malha Bank in the Indian Ocean at depths of around 148 metres (486 ft). The specific name honours the British ichthyologist Charles Tate Regan (1878-1943).
Callionymus russelli, Russell’s dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the Pacific waters off of Papua New Guinea.
Callionymus sphinx, the sphinx dragonet, is a species of dragonet known from the waters off of the Northern Territory, Australia. This species grows to a length of 5.1 centimetres (2.0 in) SL.
Callionymus sublaevis, the Australian filamentous dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is popular as a gamefish. This species grows to a length of 14.3 centimetres (5.6 in) TL.
Callionymus superbus, the proud dragonet or superb dragonet, is a species of dragonet native to the western Pacific Ocean where it occurs down to depths of 25 metres (82 ft). This species grows to a length of 20 centimetres (7.9 in) TL.
