Mushroom-Coral Pipefish

Siokunichthys nigrolineatus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Genus: Siokunichthys
Species: Siokunichthys nigrolineatus

The mushroom-coral pipefish (Siokunichthys nigrolineatus) is a small, dark-lined pipefish that lives among the tentacles of free-living mushroom corals. A thin black line runs along its pale, translucent body.

Growing to around 5-6 cm, it often shares a single mushroom coral with several others, weaving through the long tentacles that the coral extends, especially when the tentacles are out during the day. It feeds on tiny crustaceans caught near the coral.

It is found across the western Pacific, including the Philippines. On Philippine reefs, checking mushroom corals with extended tentacles is the best way to find one.