Ornate pipefish (Halicampus macrorhynchus)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Halicampus macrorhynchus
- Common name
- Ornate pipefish
- Category
- Fish
- Family
- Syngnathidae
- Genus
- Halicampus
- Size
- 15–18 cm
- Depth
- 3–30 m
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- sand, coral-reef
- Behaviours
- solitary, cryptic
- Ocean zones
- Asian Pacific, Indian Ocean & Red Sea
Description
Halicampus macrorhynchus reaches 18 cm. Indo-Pacific pipefish with elongated beige-green to olive-brown body with very long distinctive tubular snout (hence macrorhynchus), covered with skin appendages (skin tabs) allowing perfect mimicry of algae and seagrasses. Lives from 3 to 30 m on sand, seagrass and soft corals of central and western Indo-Pacific (Indonesia, Philippines). Tubular suction predator of small crustaceans. Mimicking macro photo subject of Lembeh, Anilao muck dives.
Photo of Ornate pipefish
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the Ornate pipefish?
- Ornate pipefish (Halicampus macrorhynchus) reaches 15–18 cm in length.
- At what depth can you find the Ornate pipefish?
- Ornate pipefish is found between 3–30 m deep.
- Is the Ornate pipefish dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Ornate pipefish?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Ornate pipefish?
- Found in: Asian Pacific, Indian Ocean & Red Sea.
Other species in the family Syngnathidae
- Hippocampus guttulatus - Long-snouted seahorse
- Hippocampus pontohi - Pontoh's pygmy seahorse
- Hippocampus denise - Denise's pygmy seahorse
- Hippocampus severnsi - Severns' pygmy seahorse
- Hippocampus hippocampus - Short-snouted seahorse
- Corythoichthys flavofasciatus - Yellow-banded pipefish
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 218011)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 2332845)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia