Corythoichthys
| Corythoichthys | ||||||||||||
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Yellow- banded pipefish ( Corythoichthys haematopterus ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Corythoichthys | ||||||||||||
| Kaup , 1856 |
Corythoichthys is a genus of Jianzui (Syngnathidae). The fish live bottom-oriented in the coral reefs of the tropical Indo-Pacific . They are diurnal, live in pairs or in small groups, and mainly stay on stony ground near the reef. At night, some species gather in larger groups and seek shelter in the cavities of sponges.
Corythoichthys species grow to be seven to eight centimeters long. Their tubular mouth is extremely thin and clearly set off from the head. They feed on the smallest crustaceans that they ingest from the ground.
Reproduction
After an extensive courtship, the females lay several 100 to 1000 eggs. The eggs emerge as a coherent band that unfolds, is pressed against the male's belly and there is enclosed by the brood pouch made of two thin skin folds. After a few weeks, the small, transparent juvenile fish that swim to the surface of the water hatch, initially live pelagic and can then spread widely.
species
There are eleven scientifically described and at least twelve previously undescribed species. Usually the species are differentiated based on the length of the snout and the color of the head and body. However, it is difficult to distinguish many species. There are also color variants and local forms. Different species from geographically distant areas probably form closely related species complexes.
- Brown ribbon pipefish ( Corythoichthys amplexus ) Dawson & Randall, 1975
- Corythoichthys benedetto Allen & Erdmann, 2008
- Net pipefish ( Corythoichthys flavofasciatus ) (Gray, 1830)
- Yellow-banded pipefish or lying pipefish ( Corythoichthys haematopterus ) (Bleeker, 1851)
- Bake pipefish ( Corythoichthys insularis ) Dawson, 1977
- Scribbled pipefish or dragon's head pipefish ( Corythoichthys intestinalis ) (Ramsay, 1881)
- Black- breasted pipefish ( Corythoichthys nigripectus ) Herald, 1953
- Orange-dot pipefish ( Corythoichthys ocellatus ) Herald, 1953
- Paxton's pipefish ( Corythoichthys paxtoni ) Dawson, 1977
- Yellow- point pipefish ( Corythoichthys polynotatus ) Dawson, 1977
- Schultz Pipefish ( Corythoichthys schultzi ) Herald, 1953
literature
- Rudie H. Kuiter: Seahorses, pipefish, shredded fish and their relatives , 2001, Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-8001-3244-3
Web links
- Corythoichthys on Fishbase.org (English)