Eurypegasus draconis / Short dragonfish / Seamoth

The winged fish belong to the Pegasidae family, of which there are only eight species. Subdivided into the genus Pegasus with 6 species and Eurypegasus with 2 species.

One of these is the dwarf winged horsefish /Eurypegasus draconis which also occurs in the Red Sea.

The name Pegasus comes from the Greek and means winged horse. Pegasus is the horse of the gods, whose parents are the sea god Poseidon and the gorgon Medusa. At least that is the explanation given in Greek mythology. Like Pegasus, the horse with wings, the winged horsefish has extremely large pectoral fins that resemble wings. These fins are not used for locomotion, but for stabilization. This is done by the hooked ventral fins, which they use to walk on the ground like legs.

This also explains the fact that the winged horsefish live near the bottom. Found in all tropical and subtropical waters. The winged fish have no swim bladder. They also have no scales. Their bony body is covered with a thin skin. They moult weekly to rid themselves of parasites. They feed on small worms and crustaceans.

They prefer to reproduce at dusk. They move away from the bottom, squeeze their bellies together and release their gametes, i.e. sex cells. The actual fertilization, the coming together of eggs and sperm, takes place in the open water. The winged fish live monogamously. The males always stay close to the females and vice versa to prevent a third party from disturbing their togetherness.