
Multibar pipefish
Dunckerocampus multiannulatus
- Usual depth7–32 m
- Water temperature25–30 °C
- Best monthsFebruary, March, and October
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Tom Heijnen, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Tom Heijnen · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Dunckerocampus multiannulatus is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is widespread in the Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea and South Africa to the Andaman Islands and Sumatra, Indonesia. It inhabits coral and rocky reefs to depths of 45 metres (148 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 18 centimetres (7.1 in). It is an active cleaner, feeding on small crustaceans that grow on other fishes. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs and giving birth to live young. Males may brood at 13 centimetres (5.1 in).
Text from the Wikipedia article “Dunckerocampus multiannulatus”, 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: 4 records
- February: 6 records
- March: 7 records
- April: 6 records
- May: 2 records
- June: 2 records
- July: 2 records
- August: 2 records
- September: 2 records
- October: 8 records
- November: 5 records
- December: 3 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 7–32 m · Deepest record: 32.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 25–30 °C
Photos

(c) Tom Heijnen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Tom Heijnen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Multibar pipefish, many-banded pipefish, Many-bands Pipefish, multibar pipefish
Names in 2 more languages
- French
- Syngnathe annelé
- Simplified Chinese
- 多带矛吻海龙, 多帶矛吻海龍, 多环斑节海龙, 多環斑節海龍
Other scientific names: Doryichthys multiannulatus, Doryramphus multiannulatus, Doryrhamphus multiannulatus, Dunckerocamphus multiannulatus, Dunckerocampus bentuviae, Dunckerocampus ben-tuviae
Similar species
Banded PipefishDunckerocampus dactyliophorus
Baldwin's PipefishDunckerocampus baldwini
Broad-banded PipefishDunckerocampus boylei
Orange-banded PipefishDunckerocampus pessuliferus
- banded pipefish
Dunckerocampus chapmani
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).
- 53 open-data records from 1903 to 2015.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
Log what you see on your next dive
The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.