© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

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CALLIONYMIDAE: STINKFISHES AND DRAGONETS

(c) D. Muirhead, MLSSA

Globally, the Callionymidae family is a large one, with a current allocation of about 19 genera and 190 species (Froese and Pauly, 2008). The dragonets and stinkfishes are distributed mainly in the tropical Indo-West Pacific.
Members of the family typically live on sandy bottoms, although some species are reef dwellers.
Species in the family have eyes close together on the top of the head, no scales, large tail and ventral fins, and a slimy, foul-tasting skin (Edgar, 2000). Callionymids feed on small benthic invertebrates. The callionymids are sexually dimorphic (with the males often brightly coloured and patterned), and fish in the family are pelagic spawners (Nelson, 1994, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2008).
The taxonomy of Callionymidae in southern Australia needs to be revised, because, for at least two species, there is some doubt as to whether eastern and western forms are a single species. One example is the Sand Dragonet / Spotted Dragonet Repomucenus calcaratus (= Callionymus calcaratus), which apparently has a disjunct distribution, the eastern form ranging from southern Queensland to N.S.W. (including Norfolk I. and Lord Howe I. – Francis, 1993), and the western form from Kangaroo I.; through to the central coast of W.A. (Australian Museum, 2005g). Other southern Australian species include the W.A. endemic Goodlad’s Stinkfish Callionymus goodladi; the outer continental shelf species Bight Stinkfish Foetorepus phasis (= Foetorepus apricus or Synchiropus phasis); the Common Stinkfish Callionymus calauropomus (= Synchiropus calauropomus), and Painted Dragonet / Painted Stinkfish Eocallionymus papilio (= Synchiropus papilio). The latter two stinkfishes, as currently described, range across southern Australia and Tasmania, and both species are common in a variety of habitats (seagrass, reef, sponge, sand / silt) on the continental shelf. Both Common Stinkfish and Painted Stinkfish are collected in Tasmania under permit, for the international aquarium market[2].
Sand Dragonet (Spotted Dragonet) and Common Stinkfish are included here because (i) they are captured in large numbers in various trawl fisheries in southern Australia, and (ii) assessments (Stobutski et al., 2000, 2001; NSW Department of Primary Industries, 2004) of the vulnerability of some fish families to trawling impacts, have indicated that fishes in the Callionymidae are susceptible to population impacts due to trawling (see synopses below).

Associated taxa

Common Stinkfish	Foetorepus calauropomus (Richardson, 1844) or Synchiropus calauropomus (Richardson, 1844)
Sand Dragonet / Spotted Dragonet / Spotted Stinkfish	Repomucenus calcaratus (Macleay, 1881) = Callionymus calcaratus Macleay, 1881