black sea red data book - Department of Biology

Synonyms: Callionymus risso Le Sueur
Callionymus belenus Risso, 1826
Common names: Engl: Dragonet Russ: Malaya morskaya mysh; Turk: Uzgun baligi;
Ukr: Mors'ka mysha mala, Piskarka sira
Order PERCIFORMES
Family CALLIONYMIDAE
Taxonomic description. One of three species of the family inhabiting the Black Sea.
Spinous dorsal fin with three rays. Rostrum length less than eye diameter and
representing not more than 30% of head length.
IUCN Status
World level:
Black Sea Regional level: EN
Subregion level: EN (Ukrainian sector)
Distribution. Mainly sandy bottom shallow water coastal areas of the Black Sea,
including low salinity areas. Mediterranean Sea.
Habitat type, Critical habitats, Limiting factors. Sandy and muddy grounds from
surface to 10, sometimes 18 m depth. Limiting factors are the bottom hypoxia for
adult fishes, surface water pollution and disappearance of Cystoseira belts for
neustonic larvae.
Biology. A small bottom fish, up to 7-8 cm length, feeding on meiobenthos and
laying pelagic eggs. Larvae neustonic, 4-7 mm long, covered with a dense network of
dark brown melanophores, making them appear like floating fragments of brown alga
Cystoseira barbata to which predators are indifferent.
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