‹ Fish Finder· #509

Messmate Pipefish

Corythoichthys haematopterus

Messmate Pipefish — photo 1 of 4
Photo 1 of 4 · Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
commonwhitebrownbandedsmallseagrass
Habitat
Seagrass
Max size
21 cm
Depth
0-21 m
Family
Syngnathidae

The messmate pipefish is a species of marine fish in the family Syngnathidae. It is widespread throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, from the eastern coast of Africa to the Vanuatu Islands. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade where it is known as the dragonfaced pipefish. Other common names are bloodspot pipefish, reef pipefish, reeftop pipefish and yellow-streaked pipefish.

Adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side, with what tells them apart.

Messmate Pipefish
This oneMessmate Pipefish
Scribbled Pipefish
Look-alikeScribbled Pipefish

Two pale pipefish of sand and rubble flats, usually seen in pairs. Messmate Pipefish has fine lines on the head, a row of spots along the back and trunk, and a mostly pink tail fin. Scribbled Pipefish is whitish to pale yellow with a black-banded snout, and diffuse brown bars crossed by wavy brown to black lines.

See the Scribbled Pipefish →

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