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Spotted dragonet

species of fish

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 29, 2026
Entity authorityQ772858
Source-derived summary

The spotted dragonet (Callionymus maculatus) is a species of dragonet native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea where it occurs at depths of from 45 to 650 metres (148 to 2,133 ft). This species is important to local peoples engaged in subsistence fishing.

Description

The spotted dragonet is similar in shape to the common dragonet (Callionymus lyra) but it is smaller, growing to a total length of 16 centimetres (6.3 in) in males and 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in females. It has a broad, flattened head and body which is flat ventrally and convex dorsally and has a round cross-section posteriorly. The large eyes are situated quite close to each other on the top of the head which has a quite large, protractile mouth. The snout is a little shorter than the diamerter of the eye, being markedly shorter than that of the common dragonet. The preoperculum is hooked and has four spines, on pointing forwards and the remaining three point backwards. There are two high dorsal fins, taller in males than in females, and the first dorsal fin in males is a little higher than the second dorsal fin. The first dorsal fin has four rays and the second has 9–10 rays. The anal fin is similar in size to the second dorsal fin and it has a long tail.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Spotted dragonet” as species of fish. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Spotted, dragonet and species.

Editorial reviewUseful for establishing the present vocabulary of the subject while preserving a route back to the evidence on which that vocabulary rests. The current 224-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Spotted, dragonet and species providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Spotted dragonet”, the useful work is to connect “species of fish” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q772858. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.

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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Spotted dragonet”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Spotted dragonet primary sources, Spotted dragonet archive and Spotted research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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  2. Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
  3. Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Spotted dragonet” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.