Family PEGASIDAE

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Introduction

The family Pegasidae was reviewed by Palsson & Pietsch (1989), who recognised five species in two genera, including three species in two genera from Australia. Subsequently a fourth species has been described from Australia (Osterhage et al. 2016).

Seamoths are benthic marine fishes as adults, with pelagic juvenile stages. They occur in tropical and temperate areas of the Indian and west-central Pacific Oceans, where they are found in inshore and shelf waters. They have the body armoured and depressed, mouth subterminal under a small, dentate rostrum and large, horizontal wing-like pectoral fins. Maximum length for the family is 18 cm.

Pietsch & Palsson (1999) characterised the family, and Pietsch (1978) discussed evolutionary relationships. Larvae are described in Reader & Neira (1998) and Reader et al. (2000). Australian species are variously treated in Pogonoski et al. (2002), Pietsch (2008), Kuiter (2009) and Allen & Erdmann (2012). Seamoths are traded for traditional Chinese medicine (Vincent 1997; Pajaro et al. 2004) and Australian species have been assessed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2011)

 

General References

Allen, G.R. & Erdmann, M.V. 2012. Reef fishes of the East Indies. Perth : Tropical Reef Research 3 vols, 1260 pp. [179-180]

IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011.1. www.iucnredlist.org

Kuiter, R.H. 2009. Seahorses and their relatives. Seaford, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 331. [317-320]

Osterhage, D., Pogonoski, J.J., Appleyard, S.A. & White, W.T. 2016. Integrated taxonomy reveals hidden diversity in northern Australian fishes: a new species of seamoth (genus Pegasus). PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science) 11(3): e0149415

Pajaro, M.G., Meeuwig, J.J., Giles, B.G. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2004. Biology, fishery and trade of sea moths (Pisces: Pegasidae) in the central Philippines. Oryx 38(4): 1365-3008

Palsson, W.A. & Pietsch, T.W. 1989. Revision of the acanthopterygian fish family Pegasidae (Order Gasterosteiformes). Indo-Pacific Fishes 18: 1-38

Pietsch, T.W. 1978. Evolutionary relationships of the seamoths (Teleostei : Pegasidae) with a classification of gasterosteiform families. Copeia 1978(3): 517-529 figs 1-15

Pietsch, T.W. 2008. Pegasidae. 485 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. [485]

Pietsch, T.W. & Palsson, W.A. 1999. Family Pegasidae. 2262 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790.

Pognoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A. & Paxton, J.R. 2002. Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Canberra : Environment Australia 375 pp.

Reader, S.E., Leis, J.M. & Rennis, D.S. 2000. Pegasidae (Sea Moths). pp. 210-212 in Leis, J.M. & Carson-Ewart, B.M. The larvae of Indo-Pacific coastal fishes. An identification guide to marine fish larvae. Fauna Malesiana Handbooks Leiden : Brill Vol. 2 870 pp. [210-212]

Reader, S.E. & Neira, F.J. 1998. Pegasidae: Seamoths. pp. 117-121 in Neira, F.J., Miskiewicz, A.G. & Trnski, T. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. Nedlands, Western Australia : University of Western Australia press 474 pp. [117-121]

Smith, M.M. & Heemstra, P.C. (eds) 1986. Smith's Sea Fishes. Johannesburg : Macmillan South Africa xx + 1047 pp. 144 pls. [443]

Vincent, A.C.J. 1997. Trade in pegasid fishes (sea moths), primarily for traditional Chinese medicine. Oryx 31: 199-208

 

Common Name References

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [475] (Sea Moths)

Pietsch, T.W. & Palsson, W.A. 1999. Family Pegasidae. 2262 in Carpenter, K.E. & Niem, T.H. (eds). The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fisheries Purposes. Rome : FAO Vol. 4 pp. 2069-2790. [2262] (alternate FAO) (Seadragons, Seamoths)

Whitley, G.P. 1948. A list of the fishes of Western Australia. Western Australia Fish Department. Fisheries Bulletin 2: 1-35 map [14] (Sea-moth)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
27-Jul-2017	SYNGNATHIFORMES	01-May-2017	MODIFIED	Dr Doug Hoese Dr Matthew Lockett
25-Jun-2015	SYNGNATHIFORMES	27-Feb-2015	MODIFIED	Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM)
		12-Feb-2010	(import)