Hawaiian sea-moth fish

Hawaii - wing Ross fish ( Eurypegasus papilio )

The Hawaii - wing Ross fish ( Eurypegasus papilio ) is a species of the family of winged horse fish ( Pegasidae ) and comes only in the north-central Pacific in Hawaii endemic.

Features

The Hawaii - wing Ross fish is about 7.6 inches long. Like all winged horse fish he has a striking, long solid and tubular snout. The body is plump, provided on the back side with a humped surveys and distinct from caudal peduncle. He is by three pairs of dorsolateral ( located on the sides of the back) and four pairs of ventrolateral ( located on the sides of the abdomen ) armored bone plates. Located on the belly bone combs are the same size as, situated near the back and filled with laterally directed denticles. The tail fins stem surrounded eight, in rare cases, nine bony rings. Located centrally on the top of the last bone of the ring tail fins stem sits a rear-facing spine. The eyes are not visible from above, but rather from the bottom.

The Hawaii - wing Ross fish is colored on the back and on the sides of the body olive to yellow-olive, the ventral side is whitish. Three indistinct, double, reddish bands encircle the trunk and tail. The only dorsal fin sits on the tail fins and handle, as well as the anal fin, five soft fin rays supported. The pectoral fins are fan-shaped. The number of vertebrae is 19

Dissemination and lifestyle

The Hawaii - wing Ross fish comes close to the ground at depths 80-290 meters ( usually above 115 meters ) in Hawaii in the north central Pacific Ocean off. In other tropical Indo-Pacific it is by its sister species Eurypegasus draconis replaced ( vicarious species). Larvae and young fish live plankton and are often fished with plankton nets from the neuston.