bellybarred pipefish
Hippichthys spicifer (Rüppell, 1838)
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
Hippichthys spicifer, commonly known as bellybarred pipefish, banded freshwater pipefish, or blue spotted pipefish, is a species of pipefish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Sri Lanka and Samoa. It lives in shallow coastal and estuarine habitats such as mangroves, tidal creeks, and the lower reaches of rivers, where it can grow to lengths of 18 centimetres (7.1 in). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans and mosquito larvae. This species is ovoviviparous, with males brooding eggs in a brood pouch before giving birth to live young. It is reproductively active all year, with males and females reaching sexual maturity at 10.8 and 10 centimetres (4.3 and 3.9 in) respectively. Brood size can vary significantly, from 114 to 1764, with an average of 604.4 plus or minus 322.8.
Wikipedia contributors, Hippichthys spicifer; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:46:27.174691+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Hippichthys spicifer (Rüppell, 1838)
- Name authority
- (Rüppell, 1838)
- Common name
- bellybarred pipefish
- 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 spicifer (Rüppell, 1838)
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 penicillus (Cantor, 1849) | 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hippichthys specifer (Rüppell, 1838) (Rüppell, 1838) | synonym |
| Syngnathus gracilis Steindachner, 1901 Steindachner, 1901 | synonym |
| Corythroichthys spicifer (Rüppell, 1838) (Rüppell, 1838) | synonym |
| Micrognathus suvensis Herre, 1935 Herre, 1935 | synonym |
| Microphis tenuis Blyth, 1858 Blyth, 1858 | synonym |
| Syngnathus gastrotaenia Bleeker, 1853 Bleeker, 1853 | synonym |
| Syngnathus perlatus Lay & Bennett, 1839 Lay & Bennett, 1839 | synonym |
| Syngnathus spicifer Rüppell, 1838 Rüppell, 1838 | synonym |
| Syngnathus tapeinosoma Bleeker, 1854 Bleeker, 1854 | synonym |
| Syngnathus spicifer gastrotaenia Bleeker, 1853 Bleeker, 1853 | synonym |
| Syngnathus hunnii Bleeker, 1860 Bleeker, 1860 | synonym |
| Bombonia spicifer (Rüppell, 1838) (Rüppell, 1838) | 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=218016 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:3LZDD. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.