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Pigsnout Pipefish Choeroichthys suillus Whitley 1951
[CAAB 37 282046]

Distribution Map see an interactive map here (new window)

This small, secretive species often hides under coral rubble.

Distribution, ecology and habitat:

Tropical, subtropical, known from northern Australia and Papua New Guinea; from Jurien Bay (WA) to Moreton Bay (Qld); in rubble habitats of inshore coral reefs to 15 m.

Size:

Reaches 80 mm TL.

Food and feeding:

Undescribed, but likely to suck up small crustaceans through its tubular snout.

Reproduction and early life history:

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous (gives birth to live young). Males may be brooding at a length of 50-55 mm.

Eggs: brooded by the males in an enclosed pouch on the underside of the trunk , usually in a single layer of two parallel rows.

Larvae: Undescribed, but likely to be pelagic and morphologically similar to adults at birth.

Characteristics:

Meristics: D 22-24; P 19-21; Trunk rings 18-19; Tail rings 18-20.

Head and body: Body slender, head length 5.2-6.3 in SL; snout short, length 1.8-2.0 in HL, snout depth 3.5-3.8 in snout length.

Colour:

Variable from brownish, tan or yellow, or almost black with irregular pale blotches scattered on the sides and over the back.

Similar species:

Although similar to C. brachysoma, C. suillus has a much more slender body.

Fisheries:

None known.

Conservation Status:

In Australia, Marine listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Other common names:

Barred Short-bodied Pipefish, Pig-snouted Pipefish, Pig-snouted Pipe-fish.

Original citation:

Choeroichthys suillus Whitley 1951, Rec. Aust. Mus. 22(4): 393, fig. 2, Port Denison, Queensland.

Etymology:

Choeroichthys from the Greek, choiros meaning a pig and ichthys for fish.

References:

Dawson, C.E. 1976. Review of the Indo-Pacific Pipefish genus Choeroichthys (Pisces: Syngnathidae), with descriptions of two new species. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 89(3): 39-66

Dawson, C.E. 1985. Indo-Pacific Pipefishes (Red Sea to the Americas). Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. 230 pp.

Grant, E.M. 1978. Guide to Fishes. Department of Harbours and Marine, Brisbane Qld.

Hoese, D.F., D.J. Bray, J.R. Paxton & G.R. Allen. 2006. Fishes. In Beesley, P.L. & A. Wells (eds). Zoological catalogue of Australia. Volume 35. ABRS & CSIRO Publishing: Australia. 2178 pp.

Hutchins, J.B. 2001. Checklist of the fishes of Western Australia. Rec. West. Aust. Mus. Suppl. 63: 9-50.

Johnson, J.W. 1999. Annotated checklist of the fishes of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. Mem. Qld Mus. 43(2): 709-762.

Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and their Relatives. TMC Publishing, Chorleywood, UK. 240 pp.

Paulus, T. 1999. Family Syngnathidae. pp 2264-2276, In Carpenter K.E. & V.H. Niem (eds.) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide For Fisheries Purposes. FAO, Rome Vol. 4.

Pogonoski, J.J., D.A. Pollard & J.R. Paxton. 2002. Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Environment Australia, Canberra, 375 pp.

Whitley, G.P. 1951. Studies in Ichthyology No.15. Rec. Aust. Mus. 22(4): 389-408 figs. 1-14.