Stigmatophora longi-rostris
Jules found lots of these guys and gals in the Harbour yesterday. He brought some to the Bait House Aquarium to show Sunday visitors some of the really fantastic looking fish that live on our doorstep. These slender cousins of seahorses have a tail that tapers to a fine point. The mouth is long and tubular with tiny jaws at the extreme tip.
The pipe fishes are like stretched out sea horses, but they always remain thus and the tail is not prehensile. This species is usually 15 to 20 cm in length, but it sometimes grows up to 30 cm. It is greenish or brownish with two rows of dark-brown dots along each side.
This species is common in Wellington Harbour and also occurs around Auckland. It's found hiding amongst masses of seaweeds, but a more abundant species, obtainable at Auckland in the same manner, is the smaller Ichthyocampus filum, which is brownish with black crossbars, and has a much shorter beak.
If you'd like to know about these unusual fish, come down to the Bait House Aquarium any Sunday between 10am and 3pm and ask our special volunteers all about them. Also like us on Facebook!