Orange and Black Dragonet

Dactylopus kuiteri

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Callionymiformes
Family: Callionymidae
Genus: Dactylopus
Species: Dactylopus kuiteri

The orange and black dragonet (Dactylopus kuiteri) is a striking sand-dwelling dragonet with a huge, sail-like dorsal fin and finger-like pelvic fins it uses to walk across the bottom. Its fins are decorated with orange, black and blue patterns.

It grows to around 10-15 cm. It spends most of its time on sand and silt, flaring its dorsal fin in display and picking small invertebrates from the sediment. When disturbed it can bury itself in the sand.

The orange and black dragonet is known from the western Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is a sought-after find on sandy muck sites.