Double-ended Pipefish

Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Genus: Trachyrhamphus
Species: Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus

The double-ended pipefish (Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus) is a very long, slender pipefish that often rests with its head and front of the body raised at an angle, so that it looks like a twig or piece of debris. Its colour ranges from pale yellow to brown or dark grey.

It grows to about 40 cm, making it one of the longest pipefish on the reef. It lives on sand, mud and rubble, feeding on tiny crustaceans sucked up through its tube-like snout. As in all pipefish, the male carries the eggs on his belly.

The double-ended pipefish is found in the Indo-West Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is a regular but easily overlooked muck-diving find on sandy slopes.