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Cleaner Pipefish Doryrhamphus janssi Herald & Randall 1972
[CAAB 37 282059]

Distribution Map see an interactive map here (new window)

Cleaner Pipefish actively maintain cleaning stations, working in pairs to pick parasites off other fishes.

Distribution, ecology and habitat:

Tropical East Indo-west Pacific; Philippines and South China Sea to Solomon Islands and northern Australia; inhabits sheltered inshore coral reefs, usually maintaining cleaning stations in caves with sponges and below large plate corals to 35 m.  

Size:

Reaches 140 mm TL

Food and feeding:

Pairs actively maintain cleaning stations where they pick parasites of other fishes, especially cardinalfishes of the genus Cheilodipterus and damselfishes of the genus Neopomacentrus.

Reproduction and early life history:

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous (gives birth to live young). The eggs are brooded by the males in a semi-exposed pouch under the trunk; males begin brooding at 80 mm TL.

Eggs: Undescribed

Larvae: Morphologically similar to adults.

Characteristics:

Meristics: D 22-25; P 19-21; Trunk rings 16; Tail rings 21-23.

Head and body: Head length 4.2-5.2 in SL; snout longer and more slender than congeners, length 1.5-1.8 in HL, snout depth 7.6-12.6 in snout length; males without bony ventrolateral projections on snout. Superior trunk and tail ridges discontinuous; inferior trunk ridge ending on anal ring; principle ridges of posterior predorsal rings with two spines on each ring, those of tail rings with one spine.

Fins: Caudal fin fan-like.

Colour:

Middle section of body orange, head and tail sections blue, caudal fin largely black with a white centre.

Similar species:

Readily distinguished from other members of the genus Doryramphus by the higher number of tail rings (21-23 versus 11-17).

Fisheries:

None.

Conservation Status:

Australian Government Legislation: Marine listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Remarks:

Occur singly or in pairs; usually seen swimming upside-down.

Other common names:

Janss Pipefish, Janss's Pipefish

Original citation:

Dentirostrum janssi Herald & Randall 1972, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 39(11): 124, fig. 1, Koror Island, Palau Islands, 7°19'28"N, 134°30'12"E, depth 0-15.2 m.

Etymology:

Doryrhamphus is from the Greek, dory meaning lance and the Greek, rhamphos for bill, beak. The specific is named after Mr. Edwin Janss Jr.

References:

Allen, G.R. 1997. Marine fishes of tropical Australia and south-east Asia. Western Australian Museum, Perth. 292 pp.

Allen, G.R. & M. Adrim. 2003. Coral reef fishes of Indonesia. Zool. Stud. 42(1): 1-72.

Allen, G.R. & R. Swainston. 1988. The marine fishes of north-western Australia. A field guide for anglers and divers. Western Australian Museum, Perth. 201 pp.

Dawson, C.E. 1981. Review of the Indo-Pacific pipefish genus Doryrhamphus Kaup (Pisces: Syngnathidae), with descriptions of a new species and a new subspecies, Ichthyol. Bull. J.L.B. Smith Inst. 44: 1-27, figs. 1-17.

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

Herald, E.S. & J.E. Randall. 1972. Five new Indo-Pacific pipefishes. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci. 39(11): 121-140.

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.

Kuiter, R.H. 1992. Tropical reef-fishes of the western Pacific Indonesia and adjacent waters. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta. 314 pp.

Kuiter, R.H. 1997. Guide to sea fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. New Holland Publishers, Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia. 434 pp.

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

Kuiter, R.H. & T. Tonozuka. 2001. Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 1. Eels- Snappers, Muraenidae - Lutjanidae. Zoonetics, Australia. 302 pp.

Michael, S.W. 1998. Reef Fishes Volume 1. A Guide to Their Identification, Behaviour and Captive Care. Microcosm Ltd. Shellbourne, Vermont. 624 pp.

Myers, R.F. 1999. Micronesian reef fishes. A comprehensive guide to the coral reef fishes of Micronesia. 3rd revised ed. Coral Graphics, Guam. 330 pp, 192 pls.

Paulus, T. 1999. Family Syngnathidae. pp 2264-2276, In Carpenter K.E. & Niem V.H. (eds) The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. FAO Species Identification Guide For Fisheries Purposes. FAO Vol. 4. pp 2069-2790.

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.

Randall, J.E., Allen, G.R. & R.C. Steene. 1997. Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea. Crawford House Press. Bathurst. 557 pp.