Hippichthys penicillus (Cantor, 1849)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The beady pipefish (Hippichthys penicillus) is a species of pipefish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the Indo-West Pacific, from the western Persian Gulf, to the north central Indian Ocean, to Japan and Australia. It lives in the lower parts of streams and rivers, estuarine habitats such as seagrass beds and mangroves, and shallow inshore habitats, where it can grow to lengths of 16–18 centimetres (6.3–7.1 in). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans, similar to other pipefish. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs in a brood pouch before giving birth to live young. Average brood size is 177.
Wikipedia contributors, Hippichthys penicillus; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:48:25.935633+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hippichthys penicillus (Cantor, 1849)
- Name authority
- (Cantor, 1849)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Syngnathiformes
- Family
- Syngnathidae
- Genus
- Hippichthys
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: yes · Terrestrial: no. These do not form a complete habitat description.
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- gigaclassActinopterygii
- superclassActinopteri
- classTeleostei
- orderSyngnathiformes
- familySyngnathidae Bonaparte, 1831
- subfamilySyngnathinae Bonaparte, 1831
- genusHippichthys Bleeker, 1849
- speciesHippichthys penicillus (Cantor, 1849)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Hippichthys. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hippichthys albomaculosus Jenkins & Mailautoka, 2010 | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| blue-spotted pipefishHippichthys cyanospilos (Bleeker, 1854) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Hippichthys parvicarinatus (Dawson, 1978) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| belly pipefishHippichthys heptagonus Bleeker, 1849 | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| bellybarred pipefishHippichthys spicifer (Rüppell, 1838) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hippicthys penicillus (Cantor, 1849) (Cantor, 1849) | synonym |
| Syngnathus altirostris Ogilby, 1890 Ogilby, 1890 | synonym |
| Syngnathus penicillus Cantor, 1849 Cantor, 1849 | synonym |
| Hippichthys gazella Whitley, 1947 Whitley, 1947 | synonym |
| Parasyngnathus argyrostictus (Kaup, 1856) (Kaup, 1856) | synonym |
| Syngnathus argyrostictus Kaup, 1856 Kaup, 1856 | synonym |
| Syngnathus biserialis Kaup, 1856 Kaup, 1856 | synonym |
| Corythroichthys quinquarius Snyder, 1911 Snyder, 1911 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=277114 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3LZDB. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.