Corythoichthys amplexus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Corythoichthys amplexus |
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The brown-banded pipefish (scientific name: Corythoichthys amplexus) is a cool marine fish that belongs to the same family as seahorses! It's a type of pipefish found in warm, tropical waters.
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About the Brown-Banded Pipefish
What Does It Look Like?
The brown-banded pipefish is a small fish, growing up to about 10 centimeters (about 4 inches) long. Its body is light tan with wide reddish-brown bands. These bands go across its sides and back. Sometimes, a single band might split into two thinner ones.
The pipefish's head usually doesn't have strong stripes behind its eyes. Male pipefish often have dark brown spots on the underside of their front body rings. Females might have small pairs of spots there instead.
How Do They Have Babies?
Brown-banded pipefish find one partner and stay together. They are a special type of fish called ovoviviparous. This means the male carries the fertilized eggs inside a special pouch under his tail. The pouch keeps the eggs safe on the top and sides, but the bottom part of the egg mass is open.
Males can start having babies when they are about 5.7 centimeters (about 2.2 inches) long. The eggs are laid in rows, usually between 2 and 17 rows, and are held together in a jelly-like substance.
Where Do Brown-Banded Pipefish Live?
This pipefish lives in many tropical parts of the Indo-West Pacific region. You can find them from the eastern coast of Africa all the way to the western Pacific Ocean. They live as far north as the Ryukyu Islands and as far south as the Great Barrier Reef.
They are a bit shy and like to hide. You can find them in places like coral reefs, calm lagoons, harbors, and open sandy areas. They also live among rubble near reefs or in small patches of reef surrounded by sand. They usually live in shallow water, up to about 10 meters (about 33 feet) deep. These pipefish eat small crustaceans, which are tiny sea creatures.
Why Are They Important to Humans?
Brown-banded pipefish are sometimes caught and sold for people's home aquariums. Like other pipefish and sea horses, they are also sometimes dried. Dried pipefish can be used in traditional medicine or sold as interesting decorations, sometimes called curios.
