opossum pipefish
Microphis brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854)
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 short-tailed pipefish (Microphis brachyurus) is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae. It is found in fresh and brackish waters from Sri Lanka and India east to southern Japan and the Society Islands. It inhabits places with little or no current in rivers, streams and estuaries.
It formerly included three subspecies, but these are now regarded as separate species: Microphis aculeatus of the East Atlantic region, Microphis lineatus of the West Atlantic and Caribbean regions, and Microphis millepunctatus of the Western Indian Ocean region.
The short-tailed pipefish reaches up to 22 cm (8.7 in) in standard length.
Wikipedia contributors, Short-tailed pipefish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:00:54.850092+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microphis brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854)
- Name authority
- (Bleeker, 1854)
- Common name
- opossum pipefish
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Syngnathiformes
- Family
- Syngnathidae
- Genus
- Microphis
- 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
- subfamilyNerophinae Kaup, 1853
- genusMicrophis Kaup, 1853
- speciesMicrophis brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Microphis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Microphis brevidorsalis (de Beaufort, 1913) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis deocata (Hamilton, 1822) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| freshwater pipefishMicrophis fluviatilis (Peters, 1852) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis insularis (Hora, 1925) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| barhead pipefishMicrophis leiaspis (Bleeker, 1854) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis lineatus (Kaup, 1856) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis manadensis (Bleeker, 1856) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis ocellatus (Duncker, 1910) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis pleurostictus Peters, 1868 | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis retzii (Bleeker, 1856) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis caudocarinatus (Weber, 1907) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Microphis martensii (Peters, 1868) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Doryichthys philippinus Fowler, 1918 Fowler, 1918 | synonym |
| Doryichthys pristipeltis Kaup, 1856 Kaup, 1856 | synonym |
| Oostethus brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) (Bleeker, 1854) | synonym |
| Doryichthys brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) (Bleeker, 1854) | synonym |
| Microphis brachyurus brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) (Bleeker, 1854) | synonym |
| Microphis bleekeri Day, 1865 Day, 1865 | synonym |
| Microphis jouani Duméril, 1870 Duméril, 1870 | synonym |
| Syngnathus brachyurus Bleeker, 1854 Bleeker, 1854 | synonym |
| Syngnathus polyacanthus Bleeker, 1856 Bleeker, 1856 | synonym |
| Oostethus brachyurus brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) (Bleeker, 1854) | synonym |
| Doryichthys auronitens Kaup, 1856 Kaup, 1856 | synonym |
| Doryichthys hasselti Kaup, 1856 Kaup, 1856 | synonym |
| Dorichthys millepunctatus Kaup, 1856 Kaup, 1856 | 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=159448 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:43367. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.