What is the primary source of public confusion regarding the term 'dragonfish' in local fish stores?

The application of the name to the Dragon Goby from the Gobiidae group

A significant point of confusion arises because the common name 'dragonfish' is often misapplied to entirely unrelated animals sold in the pet trade, which are easily accessible to the general public. Specifically, the *Dragon Goby*, a fish belonging to the completely different family Gobiidae, is frequently sold in local fish stores and mistakenly referred to as a dragonfish. The habitats of these two groups are vastly different: the Dragon Goby lives in shallow, often brackish or marine waters, whereas the true dragonfish are deep-sea specialists inhabiting the mesopelagic zone, underscoring the critical difference between ornamental fish and elusive deep-ocean predators documented by ROVs.