Aulorhynchus

Aulorhynchus flavidus, the tubesnout or pipe fish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish that is found off the western coast of North America. It is a member of its family, Aulorhynchidae. It is also part of its suborder, the Gasterosteoidei.

Aulorhynchus flavidus

Etymology

Aulorhynchus, the genus name, is a combination of aulos, meaning "flute", and rhynchus, which means "snout", a reference to the flexible tubular snout of this species The specific name, flavidus means "yellowish".

Description

Aulorhynchus flavidus is an elongated fish that is small in size. It looks like a stickleback, but has a thinner, longer body, with 24 to 27 small spines in front of the dorsal fin.

Length

The tubesnout grows to 18 cm (7.1 in) in total length.

Snout

Aulorhynchus flavidus possesses a long snout, hence its common name.

Illustration of Aulorhynchus flavidus

Its diet

Aulorhynchus likes to feed on small planktonic crustaceans, including amphipods, mysids, and crab larvae.

Biology

Like sticklebacks, these little fish produce a sticky secretion from their kidneys when breeding. Aulorhynchus attaches its eggs to kelp. Spawning occurs throughout the year, and males protect nest sites by defending them from predators. This species is also found in public aquariums.

Habitat

The tubesnout lives in shallow marine waters off the Pacific coast of North America to a depth of 30 m (98 ft). It inhabits rocky crevices, kelp beds, eelgrass, and areas with a sandy bottom substrate.

Status

Accodring to the IUCN Red List, this fish is a least-concern species.

Gallery

A tubesnout

References

1. Froese, Rainer, and Daniel Pauly, eds. (2012). "Aulorhynchidae" in FishBase. October 2012 version.
2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2012). "Aulorhynchus flavidus" in FishBase. October 2012 version.
3. Pollom, R. (2017). "Aulorhynchus flavidus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Retrieved 26 November 2022.