what on earth is this?

[gregr]

Is this wierd or what?!

 

[Amphiprion]

It is one of the Pegasids. Maybe Pegasus volitans?

 

[MarksReef]

It's kewl, I know that. Is it yours?

 

[gregr]

I wish I had a tank with some open sand space :lol: my tank is so full you can hardly see sand anywhere... no- that was at a friends tank.
Thanks Amphiprion-
Greg

 

[Amphiprion]

We all wish we had more open space--especially if I could keep one of these guys.

 

[acrocrazy]

Eurypegasus Draconis..its in the Seahorse pipefish family...it likes cooler water anywere from 72 to 75 degrees..it will eat Piscine energetic, copepods amphipods....good luck its one of my favorite fishes

 

[Amphiprion]

Pegasids are not part of the seahorse family. In fact, they are not even related on the ordinal level.

 

[pecaco34]

I was just at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific and they had one of these guys in with the seahorses. Very cool, i thought i remembered the info saying they were related to seahorses.

 

[Amphiprion]

Well, I guess I should clear up what I said. Seamoths *used* to be classified with seahorses. With the advent of phylogenetics, they have since been reclassified.

Seahorses:
Order Syngnathiformes
Family Syngnathidae

Seamoths:
order Gasterosteiformes
Family Pegasidae

So, by current standards, they are about as closely related to seahorses and relatives as clownfish are. If anything, they are more related to the brackish sticklebacks than seahorses.

 

[pennyguy23]

I was there in Jan. of this year. (Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific ) It was my first time. That place is GREAT. I live in michigan so I don't get to see stuff like that everyday.

 

[gregr]

Thanks very much for the clarification.
Greg

 

[titoreefs]

this guy looks more like a flying gournard than a sea horse.

 

[mysis]

LOL, i catch gurnards when i go fishing, i wouldn't want one of them in my tank!!!