Name: Acropora
Local name: Ethatalbahr
Scientific name: Pegasus volitans
Classification: Class: ray-finned fishes; Order: seamoths; Family: seamoths (Pegasidae)
Size: It reaches a total length of at least 11 cm.
Habitat:
The Longtail Seamoth is a fairly rare species, found inshore on muddy and sandy substrates including seagrass areas, where it 'walks' over the bottom using its tentacular pelvic fins. Sometimes it is seen partly buried. It feeds on small benthic organisms.
Distribution:
It is widely distributed in the tropical Indo-West Pacific, from East Africa to Myanmar, north to Japan, and south to Australia.
Conservation status:
In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species global assessment it is listed as Data Deficient (DD); in the Arabian Gulf regional assessment it has been classified as Least Concern (LC). It is sometimes taken as bycatch in seine nets, but has no importance to fisheries.
Description:
These are small fishes encased in bony plates, formed from highly modified fused scales. The carapace of the head and trunk is rigid and broader than deep. The Longtail Seamoth has 12 tail rings; hence this part of the body is flexible. Its coloration is variable ranging from pale with blackish bars to brown and almost black dorsally and laterally, and lighter ventrally.
