Dragonfish

Dragonfish is a species that covers a whole lot of small fishes which have comparable traits. It contains five to six specific species, even though very little is known about each one of them them. When discussing the dragonfish, this time period is used to consult the barbeled dragonfish, the violet goby, and the Asian Arowana. It additionally covers species in numerous fish families, which include the Pegasidae species and the Polypterus senegalus species. These fishes are normally observed in waters, specially withinside the Indo-Pacific regions. These water dragonfish are small and are normally approximately seven to fifteen inches lengthy and are covered through bony rings. They are present in freshwater and are thus known as freshwater dragonfish. 

About Dragonfish

They have big heads, a large jaw, and sticking-out teeth. This protrusion is a part of the purpose that they have got this type of horrifying appearance, lending to their name from which they are called. They belong to the Animalia and phylum Chordata. The black dragonfish’s scientific name is Idiacanthus atlanticus, which comes from the Greek phrases “idia” and “akantha” which means thorns. The viperfish, some other species related to the dragonfish, is scientifically called Chauliodus, coming from the Greek phrase “chaulios” or “chaulos,” which means “to be with the mouth opened,” in addition to the Greek phrase “odious,” which means “tooth.” The dragonfish’s scientific name is Malacosteus that comes from a pair of Greek phrases – “malakos” which means smooth and “osteon” which means bones. More colloquially, these fishes are likewise known as a “sea moth,” even though these species additionally consist of the Asian Arowana. While the specific sort of these fishes may want to have moderate variations of their bodily appearances, these fishes commonly have big heads and fangtooth that frequently protrude out in their mouth which contributes to giving them such horrifying appearance. 

Many dragonfishes, especially the female ones have some other protrusion, called the barbel which is connected to their chin. This protrusion has a mild-generating photophore. Such photophores also are gifts alongside the perimeters of the bodies of dragonfishes.

These fishes have obvious tooth and their bodies are normally darkish that makes the dragonfishes invisible to their prey. This helps in making them one of the pinnacle predators beneath the water. Since these fishes are Deep Sea creatures, very little information is known about their mating rituals. They are also known as deep-sea dragonfish. However, it's been stated that the female dragon fishes would possibly launch eggs into the water and then the eggs are fertilized through the male dragon fishes. After the eggs hatch, the tiny fish babies called larvae are left and feed for themselves till they attain adulthood. Upon adulthood, they are a part of the grown-up dragonfishes in deep oceans. Meanwhile, the lifespan of a dragonfish is also not known exactly. 

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Facts about Dragonfish

The facts about sea dragonfish are listed below.

• No scales: Not all dragonfish have scales. While the scaly dragonfish has scales fashioned like hexagons, maximum dragonfish simply have easy pores and skin. There are over one hundred eighty species of those fish that don't have scales.

• Chlorophyll-crammed eyes: Chlorophyll is present in the eyes of the dragonfish. They are the best-recognized creature to have this feature.

• Protruding tooth: Dragonfish have a large jaw and fangtooth sticking out in their mouths which additionally provide them a horrifying appearance.

• Male-female length ratio: The males in dragonfishes are ten times bigger than the females. Barbels are present on the body of the females.

• Small eyes: Females have very small eyes in comparison to male ones.

• They are present in deep-sea and are known as deep-sea dragonfish. 

Blue Dragon Fish 

Glaucus atlanticus is the scientific name of the blue dragonfish. Some other names include the blue sea dragon, sea swallow, blue angel, blue glaucus, dragon slug, blue dragon, blue sea slug, and blue ocean slug. It is a species of small, blue sea slug, their shell is much smaller than that of gastropod mollusk withinside its own circle of relatives Glaucidae. These sea slugs are pelagic. They come to the surface of the water in order to see light and witness the environment but in this process, they are carried alongside through the winds and ocean currents. Glaucus atlanticus uses countershading which means that the blue aspect in their frame faces upwards, mixing in with the blue of the water. The silver/gray aspect of the ocean slugs faces downwards, mixing in with the daylight reflecting at the ocean's floor whilst regarded dealing with upwards underwater. Glaucus atlanticus feed on different pelagic creatures, which include the Portuguese man of war and different venomous siphonophores. These creatures have stinging nematocysts from the siphonophores inside their body tissues as a defense against predators. The stings can be very painful and deadly even in the case of humans. In adulthood, Glaucus atlanticus may be up to three centimeters in length even though large specimens are observed. It can stay as much as twelve months inside the water. It is silvery gray on its dorsal aspect and darkish and faded blue ventrally. It has darkish blue stripes on its head. It has a flat, tapering frame and 6 appendages that department out into rayed, finger-like cerata. With the useful resource of a fuel line-crammed sac in its stomach, it floats on the floor water. The dorsal side of these fishes has blue and blue-white color while the dorsal side has silver-gray color. This color is an instance of countershading, which enables them to defend against predators that would assault from under and from above. The blue color is likewise notion to mirror dangerous UV daylight.

Distribution and Habitat

The blue dragon fish are pelagic in nature, and they are present in temperate and tropical waters. They are also deep-sea dragonfish. It has been recorded from the east and south coasts of South Africa, European waters, the east coast of Australia, and Mozambique. These species have a geographical variety that is present northward through one hundred fifty km withinside the Gulf of California. Glaucus atlanticus are also observed withinside the Humboldt Current atmosphere in Peru in 2013, and stale Andhra Pradesh in India in 2012. This is in keeping with the recognized habitat traits of the species. They stay in heat temperate climates withinside the Southern Pacific, and in circum-tropical and Lusitanian environments. Before locating Glaucus atlanticus off Andhra Pradesh, these fishes had been documented as having been visible withinside the Bay of Bengal and stale the coast of Tamil Nadu, India, over 677 kilometers apart. Glaucus atlanticus became additionally currently observed off Bermuda in January 2016, and uncommonly washes ashore on East coast seashores at Barbados, Lesser Antilles. Although these sea slugs stay in the open ocean, they occasionally by chance wash up onto the shore, and consequently, they will be observed on seashores. Cerata additionally called papillae, expand laterally from 3 specific pairs of peduncles. The papillae are positioned in an unmarried row and can be as much as eighty-four inches overall in size. The radula of this species bears serrated tooth, to which, paired with a robust jaw and denticles that helps it to chop down and eat its prey. 

Sting of Blue Dragonfish

The Glaucus atlanticus is capable of swallowing the venomous nematocysts from siphonophores together with the Portuguese man of war and save them withinside the extremities of its finger-like cerata. Picking up the animal can bring about a painful sting, with signs and symptoms just like the ones resulting from the Portuguese man of war. The signs and symptoms which could seem after being stung are nausea, pain, vomiting, acute allergic touch dermatitis, erythema, urticarial papules, capability vesicle formation, and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation.

Red Dragon Fish

The Asian Arowana is the scientific name of the red dragonfish. It contains numerous phenotypic forms of freshwater fishes that are allotted geographically throughout Southeast Asia. They have numerous names which include Asian bony tongue, dragonfish, and some of the names precise to the specific types. Native to Southeast Asia, Asian arowanas inhabit blackwater rivers, slow-shifting waters flowing through forested swamps and wetlands. Adults feed on different fish, whilst juveniles feed on insects. These famous aquarium fishes have unique cultural importance in regions stimulated through Chinese culture. The call 'dragonfish' stems from their resemblance to the Chinese dragon. This reputation has had wonderful and terrible outcomes on their reputation as endangered species. Asian arowanas develop as much as ninety centimeters in length in their overall lifetime. Like all Scleropages, Asian arowanas have lengthy bodies, big and elongated pectoral fins, dorsal and anal fins positioned a long way at a frame, and a far large caudal fin that is present in their South American relative, the silver Arowana is known as Osteoglossum bicirrhosum. The mouth is indirect. The distinguished decrease jaw has barbels at its tip. The gill rakers are stout. Asian arowanas endure tooth on many bones of the mouth, which include the jaws, vomer, palatines, pterygoids, parasphenoid, and tongue. Asian Arowana scales are big, cycloid, and, in a few types, steel-colored, with a one-of-a-kind mosaic sample of raised ribs. The lateral scales are organized in horizontal rows numbered from the maximum ventral to the maximum dorsal, with dorsal scales specific to the sixth level. Asian arowanas are outstanding from Australian congenerics Scleropages jardinii and Scleropages leichardti through having fewer lateral line scales as opposed to 32-36 for the Australian species, they also have longer pectoral and pelvic fins and an extended anterior snout. Green arowanas are darkish in color with silvery or golden shades present on their sides, and silvery or whitish at the ventral floor, with darkish greenish or bluish patches seen through the lateral scales. In mature fish, the pinnacle of the attention and the top in the back of the attention are shiny emerald. Both gray-tailed and yellow-tailed silver Asian arowanas are darkish gray in color and silver on the perimeters, with darkish ring patches at the lateral scales and a silvery or whitish belly. In yellow-tailed specimens, the fin membranes are yellowish with darkish-gray rays. In gray-tailed specimens, the fins are uniformly darkish gray. Red-tailed golden Arowana has golden scales but the anal and caudal fins are reddish-brown. Mature purple-tailed golden arowanas have incredible steel gold lateral scales, gill covers, bellies, and pectoral and pelvic fin membranes, despite the fact that their main body is darkish. In juveniles, the regions destined to increase golden color start off steel silver. The anal fin and the lowest part of the caudal fin are mild brown to darkish purple. Mature gold cross back arowanas are outstanding from the purple-tailed golden arowanas through having steel gold crossings present on their body. This range additionally lacks the reddish fins of the purple-tailed golden.

In mature splendid purple arowanas, the gill covers, lateral scales, and fin membranes of those fishes are steel purple, with the precise hue various from gold-tinged to deep purple. In juveniles, the darker the dorsal coloration, the deeper the purple might be in adulthood.

Scaly Dragon Fish

The scaly dragonfish or boa dragonfish is a medium-sized abyssal barbeled dragonfish of its closely related species of Stomiidae. It is observed at outstanding depths global in tropical to temperate oceans however is absent from the northern Pacific and northwest Atlantic Oceans.

Stomias boa is the scientific name of this fish. It is a lengthy and narrow fish. The head is small, and the mouth has a protuberant decrease jaw and sharp, pointed tooth. The presence of fangs on this fish may give it a horrifying appearance. There is a big fleshy barbel projecting from the chin with a faded stalk, a darkish spot at the bottom of the bulb, and a darkish filament. The dorsal fin has no spines and has seventeen to twenty smooth rays and the anal fin has eighteen to twenty-two smooth rays. The dorsal and anal fins are located at the narrow caudal peduncle and the caudal fin is forked. The pores and skin is included in small hexagonal scales. Thirty-two centimeters is the biggest length of the fish found till now. Like many fish of deep oceans, it has big eyes and has silvery look with iridescent speckles.