No photo available
Messmate pipefish
Corythoichthys haematopterus
Valid name (FishBase; confirmed in Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes and WoRMS, October 2026).
- English
- Messmate pipefish
- Scientific
- Corythoichthys haematopterus
- Dhivehi
- ވެނުބަނޑޭރިVenu bandeyri
- Group
- Reef fish
- Maximum size
- Up to about 20 cm (standard length) (FishBase); MRS 1997 gives max. 20 cm
- Depth and habitat
- Coral reefs and reef-associated habitats, recorded from 0 to 21 m
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2015
Description
A slender pipefish, light yellowish grey with dark bands made of fine lines, spots along the body and a reddish tail. It rests on sandy and rubble slopes, usually in pairs or small groups, and picks tiny crustaceans with its tubular snout. Males carry the eggs.
In the Maldives
Dhivehi name venu bandeyri (MRS 1997). MRS notes it is common on sandy reef slopes.
Sources
- fishbase.se /summary/Corythoichthys-haematopterus.html
- fao.org /4/AD471E/AD471E00.htm
- dv.wikipedia.org /wiki/ވެނުބަނޑޭރި
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Corythoichthys_haematopterus,_Suma_Aqualife_Park.jpg
Dhivehi name source: M.R.S. (1997) Fishes of the Maldives (FAO/BOBP MAG/21) gives 'Venu bandeyri' (Latin form). Thaana from the Dhivehi Wikipedia article 'ވެނުބަނޑޭރި' (derived from the MRS 1997 Dhivehi edition); it matches the Latin form.