My fish crush of the day is not just a single species but an entire family!
Meet the adorable and strange Sea Moth! (No, not the thing from Subnautica).
These benthic marine fish are just downright weird looking and I love them. I’m pretty sure they’re in the same order as sticklebacks (Gasterostiformes), but looking at them I never would have heckin’ guessed it.
They’re not a large family as far as fish go, with just two genera and a whopping total of 5 species. What is most charming is that the family is the Pegasidae, and the genera being straight up called Pegasus or Eurypegasus. This is on account of their wing-like pectoral fins and long rostrum (the snout looking thing - but their mouth is actually on the underside of their head). Even better: one of the species is Eurypegasus draconis! That translates to short/little pegasus dragon. Two mythical creatures for the price of one!
And it’s frickin’ handsome too.
A few other cool notes - they shed their armoured skin all in one go (they more or less jump out of their skin) on a regular basis to allow growth and rid themselves of accumulated parasites and algae. When you are a slow benthic fish that slowly crawls along the sea floor with your claw-like pelvic fins with a badass suit of armour I guess stuff just attaches to you.
These guys occasionally pop up in the aquarium trade as oddball fish. They have a max length of around 8-20 cm (3-8 inches) depending on species, probably due to differences in tail length. They would likely need a sizeable and dedicated tank, kept alone or as a pair, with little rock work and plenty of live sand/gravel to provide them enough food.
One of the five species is listed as vulnerable (P. Lanternaris) and the other four data deficient. They are rarely targeted for the aquarium trade, but they are regularly sold dried as traditional Chinese medicine.
Rock on you little sea pegasus/dragon thing you.
