Orange-banded Pipefish
Dunckerocampus pessuliferus
- Usual depth15–44 m
- Water temperature28–29 °C
- Best monthsMay, September, and November
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Bernard Picton, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Dunckerocampus pessuliferus, occasionally Doryrhamphus pessuliferus, is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is a coastal species, inhabiting waters around the Coral Triangle, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and northwestern Australia. It lives in coral patches on sandy and muddy slopes at depths of 15–44 metres (49–144 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 16 centimetres (6.3 in). It is an active cleaner, feeding off of parasitic crustaceans growing on other fishes. The adult fish form pairs and are normally observed swimming along the bottom around large remote coral heads on muddy slopes. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs and giving birth to live young.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Dunckerocampus pessuliferus”, 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: 9 records
- February: 5 records
- March: 7 records
- April: 5 records
- May: 16 records
- June: 7 records
- July: 4 records
- August: 8 records
- September: 12 records
- October: 10 records
- November: 12 records
- December: 5 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 15–44 m · Deepest record: 44 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 28–29 °C
Photos
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Orange-banded Pipefish, Yellowbanded Pipefish, Yellowbar Pipefish
Names in 1 more languages
- Simplified Chinese
- 栓形矛吻海龍, 栓形矛吻海龙
Other scientific names: Doryrhamphus pessuliferus
Similar species
Banded PipefishDunckerocampus dactyliophorus
Banded PipefishCorythoichthys flavofasciatus
Bloodspot PipefishCorythoichthys haematopterus
Banded pipefishCorythoichthys intestinalis
Bluestripe pipefishDoryrhamphus excisus
Bargibant's Pygmy SeahorseHippocampus bargibanti
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).
- 26 open-data records from 1908 to 2011.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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