Umitengu (dragon fish)

A general term for the family Pegasidae in the order Pegasidae of the class Osteichthyes, or the representative species within that family. It is found in tropical and temperate waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans, including the Pacific coast south of Sagami Bay and the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Its body is flat from top to bottom, and completely covered with hard bones with spines. Its forehead protrudes long like a Tengu's nose, and there is a small mouth below it. Its pectoral fins are large and spread horizontally like wings. Its body is brown with black-brown spots or net-like patterns. It is small, with a total length of less than 20 centimeters. It lives on coastal sand and sandy mud bottoms, but has been recorded at depths of 150 meters. It occasionally invades brackish waters. It spreads its pectoral fins horizontally and crawls along the seabed using its pelvic fins. It is most closely related to the families Ophiocephalidae and Syngnathidae. Two genera and five species are known from the world's oceans. In Japan, three species have been recorded: the seahorse Eurypegasus draconis, which has eight to nine scales on its tail, the long-tailed seahorse Pegasus laternarius , which has 11 scales on its tail, and the spearhorse Pegasus volitans , which has 12 scales and a long, slender snout, from Tanabe Bay, Kochi Prefecture, and Iriomote Island. Because of their strange shape, they are often dried and used as ornaments.

[Akira Ochiai and Kunio Amano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

硬骨魚綱トゲウオ目ウミテング科Pegasidaeの総称、またはそのなかの代表種名。相模(さがみ)湾以南の太平洋沿岸、山口県日本海沿岸など、西部太平洋、インド洋の熱帯・温帯海域に広く分布する。体は上下に平たく、棘(とげ)のある堅い骨で完全に覆われている。額が「天狗の鼻」のように長く突き出し、その下に小さな口がある。胸びれは翼のように大きく水平に広がる。体は褐色の地に黒褐色の斑紋(はんもん)または網目状の紋がある。小形で全長20センチメートル以下。沿岸の砂・砂泥底にすむが、水深150メートルからの記録もある。まれに汽水域にも侵入する。胸びれを水平に広げて、腹びれを使って海底をはう。カミソリウオ科とヨウジウオ科にもっとも近縁である。世界の海域から2属5種が知られている。日本では、相模湾以南から尾部の鱗(りん)板が8～9枚のウミテングEurypegasus draconisと尾部の鱗板が11枚のテングノオトシゴPegasus laternarius、そして田辺湾、高知県、西表(いりおもて)島から鱗板が12枚で吻(ふん)が細長いヤリテングPegasus volitansの3種が記録されている。形が奇妙なので、乾燥して飾り物にされる。

［落合　明・尼岡邦夫］

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