Microphis spinachioides (Duncker, 1915)
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 spinach pipefish (Microphis spinachioides) is a species of freshwater pipefish in the family Syngnathidae. It is endemic to the Ramu–Sepik river system of Papua New Guinea. The species was described in 1915 and was last recorded by scientists in 1985, before being rediscovered in the Sepik River in 2026. It is classified as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List.
Wikipedia contributors, Spinach pipefish; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T23:12:26.282892+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Microphis spinachioides (Duncker, 1915)
- Name authority
- (Duncker, 1915)
- 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: no · 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 spinachioides (Duncker, 1915)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| opossum pipefishMicrophis brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| 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 |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Doryichthys spinachioides Duncker, 1915 Duncker, 1915 | synonym |
| Microphis spinachoides (Duncker, 1915) (Duncker, 1915) | 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=1017188 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:43374. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.