Blue-spotted Pipefish

Hippichthys cyanospilos is a marine fish belonging to the Syngnathidae family, native from the Indo-Pacific area.

Description

The blue-spotted pipefish is a small-sized fish that can reach a maximum length of 16 cm. Its head is in the continuity of the body. The snout is tapered and have a medium length. The body has a somewhat angular appearance due to the presence of four discontinuous longitudinal ridges distributed over the dorsal and ventral side. The caudal fin is small and narrow.

The body coloration may range from yellow to light brown through almost black. The color can be plain, spotted or mottled with white, yellow or light blue. The dorsal fin is usually whitish with many small black spots.

Distribution & habitat

The blue-spotted pipefish is widespread throughout the tropical, subtropical and temperate waters of the Indo-Pacific from the eastern coast of Africa, Red Sea included, to Fidji and Philippines and from south Japan to north coast of Australia).

The blue-spotted pipefish likes the shallow waters of estuaries from small coastal rivers and mangrove area.

Biology

The bluespeckled pipefish feeds on planktonic crustacean. It is ovoviviparous and it is the male who broods the eggs in its ventral brood pouch. The latter includes villi rich in capillaries that surround each fertilized egg creating a sort of placenta supplying the embryos. When fully grown, pups will be expelled from the pocket and evolve in complete autonomy.