Festucalex kulbickii Fricke, 2004
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
Festucalex kulbickii, commonly known as Kulbicki's pipefish, or New Caledonian pipefish, is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found from West Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea to New Caledonia. It lives in coral reefs to depths of 56 metres (184 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 6.8 centimetres (2.7 in). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans, similar to other pipefish. This species is ovoviviparous, with males brooding eggs and giving birth to live young. The specific name honours Dr. Michel Kulbicki of L’Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) in Nouméa, New Caledonia.
Wikipedia contributors, Festucalex kulbickii; 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 kulbickii Fricke, 2004
- Name authority
- Fricke, 2004
- 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 kulbickii Fricke, 2004
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 wassi Dawson, 1977 | 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.
- Fricke. (2004). Review of the pipefishes and seahorses (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) of New 273 Caledonia with descriptions of five new species. Stuttgarter Beitraege Zur Naturkunde Serie A (Biologie), 668: 1–66. 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:6HTJG. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.