| Yellowbanded pipefish | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Syngnathidae |
| Genus: | Dunckerocampus |
| Species: | D. pessuliferus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dunckerocampus pessuliferus Fowler, 1938 | |
| Synonyms | |
Doryrhamphus pessuliferus(Fowler, 1938) | |
Dunckerocampus pessuliferus (yellowbanded pipefish), occasionally Doryrhamphus pessuliferus, is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is a coastal species, inhabiting waters around the Coral Triangle, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and northwestern Australia. [1] It lives in coral patches on sandy and muddy slopes at depths of 15–44 metres (49–144 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 16 centimetres (6.3 in). [2] It is an active cleaner, feeding off of parasitic crustaceans growing on other fishes. [1] The adult fish form pairs and are normally observed swimming along the bottom around large remote coral heads on muddy slopes. [3] This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs and giving birth to live young. [1]
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It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade, but is protected in Australia under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. [4]
