Dr. Glen Whisson, Aqua Research and Monitoring Services, Australien
Info
Choeroichthys suillus is a small, shy pipefish that often hides among coral debris.
The pipefish varies in color from brownish, light brown, or yellow to almost black with irregular light spots on the sides and back.
A light and dark pattern can be seen on the snout, chin, and throat, and a dark brown stripe runs through the eye.
A row of reddish spots can be seen along the front of the top of the pipefish.
Three pairs of light spots are distributed across the back, and the brood pouch has a dark wavy edge above a light border.
The front two-thirds of the tail fin are dark brown, the rear third is yellowish, and the remaining fins are light yellowish.
Little is known about the ecology of this species, but it is likely that, like other Syngnathidae in this region, it feeds on copepods, gammarids, and mysids. Pipefish are ovoviviparous, and the males incubate the young in a pouch under their trunk until they are born alive, similar to seahorses.
Etymology: The genus name “Choeroichthys” comes from Greek, where “choiros” means pig, and the ending “ichthys” also comes from Greek and means fish.
The species name ‘suillus’ comes from the Latin word “sus” and means pig, probably referring to the needlefish's snout.
We would like to thank Dr. Glen Whisson for his perfect photo!
Comment from Dr. Gerry Allen:
Choeroichthys suillus was excluded from coverage in RFEI because it is an Australian species that as far as I know has not been reliably reported from the East Indian region of coverage in our book. It supposedly occurs at S. New Guinea, but I have not been able to verify this record with either specimens or photos.
Cheers, Gerry
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
The pipefish varies in color from brownish, light brown, or yellow to almost black with irregular light spots on the sides and back.
A light and dark pattern can be seen on the snout, chin, and throat, and a dark brown stripe runs through the eye.
A row of reddish spots can be seen along the front of the top of the pipefish.
Three pairs of light spots are distributed across the back, and the brood pouch has a dark wavy edge above a light border.
The front two-thirds of the tail fin are dark brown, the rear third is yellowish, and the remaining fins are light yellowish.
Little is known about the ecology of this species, but it is likely that, like other Syngnathidae in this region, it feeds on copepods, gammarids, and mysids. Pipefish are ovoviviparous, and the males incubate the young in a pouch under their trunk until they are born alive, similar to seahorses.
Etymology: The genus name “Choeroichthys” comes from Greek, where “choiros” means pig, and the ending “ichthys” also comes from Greek and means fish.
The species name ‘suillus’ comes from the Latin word “sus” and means pig, probably referring to the needlefish's snout.
We would like to thank Dr. Glen Whisson for his perfect photo!
Comment from Dr. Gerry Allen:
Choeroichthys suillus was excluded from coverage in RFEI because it is an Australian species that as far as I know has not been reliably reported from the East Indian region of coverage in our book. It supposedly occurs at S. New Guinea, but I have not been able to verify this record with either specimens or photos.
Cheers, Gerry
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
