banded pipefish
Dunckerocampus chapmani
- Usual depth1–1 m
- Water temperature25–28 °C
- Best monthsNovember
- How commonRare
About this species
Dunckerocampus chapmani is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is endemic to New Caledonia, where it inhabits shallow lagoons to depths of 0–8 metres (0–26 ft). It has only been recorded in the vicinity of the city of Noumea. It can grow to lengths of 8.5 centimetres (3.3 in). It is expected to feed on small parasitic crustaceans that grow on other fishes, similar to most other members of its genus. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs and giving birth to live young. The eggs of D. chapmani are particularly large, meaning that only 30 per brood are produced, which is quite low for a pipefish. Males may brood at 8 centimetres (3.1 in).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Dunckerocampus chapmani”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 1 records
- February: 1 records
- March: 1 records
- April: 2 records
- May: 4 records
- June: 2 records
- July: 2 records
- August: 2 records
- September: 3 records
- October: 3 records
- November: 8 records
- December: 1 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–1 m · Deepest record: 1.3 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 25–28 °C
Names and classification
- English
- banded pipefish, Glowtail Pipefish, New Caledonian Pipefish
Names in 2 more languages
- French
- Syngnathe de Nouvelle-Calédonie
- Simplified Chinese
- 查氏矛吻海龍, 查氏矛吻海龙
Other scientific names: Doryrhamphus caulleryi, Doryrhamphus chapmani
Similar species
Banded PipefishDunckerocampus dactyliophorus
Baldwin's PipefishDunckerocampus baldwini
Broad-banded PipefishDunckerocampus boylei
Multibar pipefishDunckerocampus multiannulatus
Orange-banded PipefishDunckerocampus pessuliferus
Banded PipefishCorythoichthys flavofasciatus
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 28 open-data records from 1944 to 2000.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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