Halicampus mataafae

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Samoan pipefish
HalicampMataafaefishx6.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Genus: Halicampus
Species:
H. mataafae
Binomial name
Halicampus mataafae
Jordan & Seale, 1906
Synonyms [2]

Corythoichthys mataafaeJordan & Seale, 1906

The Samoan pipefish, or brown pipefish (Halicampus mataafae), is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea, to Sodwana Bay, to Taiwan, the Marshall Islands, and Samoa, where it inhabits tidepools and coral and rocky reefs to depths of 15 metres (49 ft). [1] [3] It is a solitary species with cryptic habits and is rarely observed. [2] It is likely to feed on small crustaceans, and can grow to lengths of 14 centimetres (5.5 in). This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying the fertilised eggs in a brood pouch, the folds of which fall well short of the centre of the egg-filled pouch, [4] eventually giving birth to live young. [1] [3]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name honours Mataafa, a former king of Samoa. [5] It is a listed marine species under the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. [4]

Identification

H. mataafae can be identified by its reddish-brown colouring and small pale spots on its trunk and tail. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kuo, T. & Pollom, R. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Halicampus mataafae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T65367712A115423121. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T65367712A67619440.en .
  2. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Halicampus mataafae". FishBase . February 2018 version.
  3. 1 2 Myers, R.F. (1991). Micronesian Reef Fishes: A Practical Guide to the Identification on the Coral Reef Fishes of the Tropical Central and Western Pacific Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. p. 298. ISBN   978-0-9621564-3-4.
  4. 1 2 3 Thompson, Vanessa J.; Dianne J. Bray. "Halicampus mataafae". Fishes of Australia. Museums Victoria. Retrieved 10 Jan 2018.
  5. ↑ Jordan, D. S. & A. Seale (1906). "The fishes of Samoa. Description of the species found in the archipelago, with a provisional check-list of the fishes of Oceania". Bulletin of the Bureau of Fisheries. 25 (for 1905): 173–455.

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