Species: Doryrhamphus excisus, Bluestripe pipefish, Fantail pipefish
Doryrhamphus excisus Kaup, 1856
Fantail pipefish, Bluestripe pipefish
Snout long (2.0-2.4 in head length), with central spiny ridge; operculum usually with complete longitudinal ridge, often with extra ridges below; upper trunk and tail ridges not joined; lower trunk ridge ends at anus; ridge on flank of trunk joins lower tail ridge; body & tail rings 17-19 + 13-17; 1st trunk ring much longer than second; main ridges of each ring with 1-2 spines at end; male brood pouch under trunk, without plates or folds; dorsal fin origin on trunk; no skin flaps; dorsal rays 21-29; anal rays 4; pectoral rays 19-23, fin with indented edge; tail large, 10 rays.
Generally reddish to red-brown with a blue stripe on upper part of body and blackish stripe on side of snout, continued behind eye; tail fin with narrow white margin and mainly blackish central portion containing one or more orange-red spots in center.
Size: reaches maximum size of 7 cm.
Inhabits rock and coral reefs.
Depth: 3-45 m.
Widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Americas; the eastern Pacific distribution of D. excisus excisus extends from southern Baja and the central Gulf of California to northern Peru, including all the offshore islands except the Revillagigedos, where there is an endemic subspecies D. excisus paulus.
High Resolution Map Download
- Salinity
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- Marine Only
- Marine
- Inshore/Offshore
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- Inshore Only
- Inshore
- Water Column Position
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- Bottom only
- Bottom
- Habitat
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- Reef only
- Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
- Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
- Corals
- Rocks
- FishBase Habitat
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- Reef Associated
- Feeding Group
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- Data
- Carnivore
- Ectoparasite cleaner
- Planktivore
- Diet
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- No Data
- Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
- Zooplankton
- Ectoparasites
- Egg Type
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- No data
- Brooded
- Pelagic larva
- Global Endemism
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- "Transpacific" (East + Central &/or West Pacific)
- Indo-Pacific only (Indian + Pacific Oceans)
- All Pacific (West + Central + East)
- All species
- TEP non-endemic
- Regional Endemism
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- All species
- Continent
- Continent + Island (s)
- Eastern Pacific non-endemic
- Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) non-endemic
- Island (s)
- Residency
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- Resident
- Climate Zone
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- Northern Tropical (Mexican Province to Nicaragua + Revillagigedos)
- Northern Subtropical (Cortez Province + Sinaloan Gap)
- Equatorial (Costa Rica to Ecuador + Galapagos, Clipperton, Cocos, Malpelo)
- IUCN Red List
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- Not evaluated / Listed
- CITES
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- Not listed
- Length Max
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- 7
- Depth Range Min
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- 3
- Depth Range Max
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- 45
