Upside-down Pipefish
Heraldia nocturna
- Usual depth2–13 m
- Water temperature14–21 °C
- Best monthsMarch, April, and October
- How commonRare
About this species
The upside-down pipefish is a species of pipefish endemic to the coasts of southern Australia, from New South Wales to Geographe Bay in Western Australia, where it is found in rocky reefs at depths of from 2 to 15 metres. It grows to a length of 9.2 centimetres (3.6 in) SL. This species is the only known member of its genus. Like other pipefish it is ovoviviparous but it may breed seasonally, as gravid males have been collected between September and November.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Heraldia nocturna”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 7 records
- February: 4 records
- March: 10 records
- April: 10 records
- May: 1 records
- June: 1 records
- July: 2 records
- August: 5 records
- September: 7 records
- October: 10 records
- November: 7 records
- December: 4 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 2–13 m · Deepest record: 13 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 14–21 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Upside-down Pipefish, Upside Down Pipefish, Western Upside-down Pipefish
Names in 1 more languages
- Simplified Chinese
- 宫海龙鱼, 宮海龍魚
Similar species
Banded PipefishCorythoichthys flavofasciatus
Bloodspot PipefishCorythoichthys haematopterus
Banded pipefishCorythoichthys intestinalis
Bluestripe pipefishDoryrhamphus excisus
Banded PipefishDunckerocampus dactyliophorus
banded pipefishFilicampus tigris
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).
- 43 open-data records from 1965 to 2011.
- Species data updated November 3, 2026.
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