Painted Reef Pipefish
Nannocampus pictus
- Usual depth1–11 m
- Water temperature25–28 °C
- Best monthsApril, September, and November
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Ewout Knoester, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist
About this species
Nannocampus pictus, also known as the reef pipefish, is a species of marine fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae. They can be found inhabiting reefs and seagrass beds of the western Indian Ocean and the eastern coast of Australia including the Great Barrier Reef. Members of this species can grow to lengths of 10 cm and their diet likely consists of small crustaceans such as copepods. Reproduction occurs through ovoviviparity in which the males brood eggs before giving live birth.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Nannocampus pictus”, 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: 0 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 1 records
- April: 3 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 0 records
- July: 0 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 2 records
- October: 1 records
- November: 2 records
- December: 2 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 1–11 m · Deepest record: 11 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 25–28 °C
Names and classification
- English
- Painted Reef Pipefish, Reef Pipefish
Names in 1 more languages
- Simplified Chinese
- 短臂南海龍, 短臂南海龙
Other scientific names: Ichthyocampus pictus, Mannarichthys pictus
Similar species
- Elegant pipefish
Nannocampus elegans
- Lindeman Island Pipefish
Nannocampus lindemanensis
- Bony-headed pipefish
Nannocampus subosseus
Banded PipefishCorythoichthys flavofasciatus
Bloodspot PipefishCorythoichthys haematopterus
Banded pipefishCorythoichthys intestinalis
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).
- 23 open-data records from 1915 to 1995.
- Species data updated November 4, 2026.
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