Common seadragon
Scientific name: Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Lacepède, 1804)
Overview
The common seadragon or weedy seadragon is a marine fish of the order Syngnathiformes, which also includes the similar pipefishes, seahorses, and trumpetfishes among other species. Adult common seadragons are a reddish colour, with yellow and purple striped markings; they have small, leaf-like appendages that resemble kelp or seaweed fronds, providing camouflage, as well as a number of short spines for protection. As with seahorses and the other syngnathids, the seadragon has a similarly tubular snout and a fused, toothless jaw into which it captures small invertebrate prey at lightning speed. Males have narrower bodies and are darker than females. Seadragons have a long dorsal fin along the back and small pectoral fins on either side of the neck, which provide balance. Weedy seadragons can reach 45 cm (18 in) in length.
From the Wikipedia article “Common seadragon”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2.
Where it lives
Common names
Also known in English as Lucas' Seadragon, Weedy sea dragon, Weedy seadragon.
Names in other languages (6)
- Arabic
- تنين البحر العشبي
- Chinese
- 澳洲葉海馬魚, 草海龍
- German
- Seedrache
- Japanese
- ウィーディーシードラゴン
- Persian
- اژدهای دریایی علفی
- Portuguese
- Dragão-marinho-comum
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: FishBase.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, names in other languages. Q1120403, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Common seadragon”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Richard Ling <wikipedia@rling.com> -->Rling, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026