Festucalex cinctus
A secretive pipefish endemic to eastern Australian coastal waters.
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Festucalex cinctus, commonly known as the girdled pipefish or orange-cheek pipefish, is a species of marine fish in the pipefish family Syngnathidae. It is endemic to the waters off eastern Australia, where it inhabits sheltered coastal bays and estuaries.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassActinopterygii
- DivisionTeleostei
- OrderSyngnathiformes
- FamilySyngnathidae
- GenusFestucalex
- SpeciesFestucalex cinctus
Named by Ramsay, 1882
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Festucalex cinctus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 279032 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
Where the festucalex cinctus has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (170 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 7 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Distribution
- Endemic to Australia, off the coast of Queensland and New South Wales
Facts from the source article.
Background
The girdled pipefish is recognized by its broad head, slender snout, and leafy appendages on its dorsal ridges. Its colour varies from dark grey to orange-brown with pale bars along the back and an orange blotch on the lower gill cover; occasional pale or black individuals have been sighted. It can grow to lengths of 16 centimetres.
This species is demersal and is expected to feed on small crustaceans, similar to other pipefish. It is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs and giving birth to live young. The males bear the fertilised eggs in a semi-enclosed pouch on the ventral side of the trunk; this pouch has distinct protective plates and its folds barely meet on the midline when full of eggs.
Festucalex cinctus is secretive, living on patches of coral rubble, sand, or in areas with sparse growth of seagrass, algae, and sponges. It has also been recorded in small numbers in open water near pilings of piers in harbours. Specimens from the tropical part of its distribution, in northern Queensland and the Northern Territory, appear to be different from specimens in New South Wales and may represent a different species.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Festucalex cinctus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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