Festucalex wassi Dawson, 1977
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
Wass's pipefish (Festucalex wassi) is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is known from only six species, which were found in the coastal waters of Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Samoa. It inhabits soft coral habitats and coral rubble to depths of 50 metres (160 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 7.4 centimetres (2.9 in). Little is known of the species' feeding habits, but it is expected to eat small crustaceans, similar to other pipefish. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs and giving birth to live young. The specific name honours the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service biologist Richard C. Wass.
Wikipedia contributors, Festucalex wassi; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T22:33:06.359658+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Festucalex wassi Dawson, 1977
- Name authority
- Dawson, 1977
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Teleostei
- Order
- Syngnathiformes
- Family
- Syngnathidae
- Genus
- Festucalex
- Extinction status
- Not supplied by this source
Source habitat flags: Marine: yes · Freshwater: no · 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
- genusFestucalex Whitley, 1931
- speciesFestucalex wassi Dawson, 1977
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Festucalex. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Festucalex cinctus (Ramsay, 1882) | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Festucalex kulbickii Fricke, 2004 | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Festucalex rosa Yuki & Motomura, 2025 | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
| Festucalex bifasciatus Yuki & Motomura, 2026 | SyngnathidaeChordata | Accepted speciesExtinction status not supplied |
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.
- Dawson, C. E. (1977). Synopsis of syngnathine pipefishes usually referred to the genus Ichthyocampus Kaup, with description of new genera and species. Bulletin of Marine Science, 27 (4):595–650. 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:6HTJ2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.