
Flagtail pipefish

"Doryrhamphus" and "Dunckerocampus", popularly known as flagtail pipefish, are two genera of fishes in the family Syngnathidae. They are found in warm, relatively shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, with a single species, "D. paulus", in the eastern Pacific. Most of these pipefishes are very colourful, and are fairly popular in the marine aquarium hobby despite requiring special care and not being recommended for beginners.
Their habit of flashing the distinctly patterned tails during courtship and other displays have earned them their English popular name. Adults are highly territorial and usually live in pairs. They feed on tiny crustaceans and other small animals, and most species from the genus "Doryrhamphus" will sometimes act as cleaners.
Description.
"Doryrhamphus" have a maximum length of or less, with "D. janssi" being the only species that surpasses . Most species have a horizontal blue line along their body, and all have a whitish-edged tail that is marked contrastingly with black, red or yellow.
"Dunckerocampus" are more elongated and have a maximum length between , with "D. chapmani" being the only species with a maximum length below . Their tail is red with a whitish edge, and in some species there is a white or yellow spot in the center. All except "D. baldwini" (and a similar, but possibly undescribed species from the eastern Indian Ocean) have vertical red/brown and yellow/white stripes on their body.
Taxonomy.
Considerable taxonomic confusion exists in these genera, both because a number of scientifically undescribed species remain and some of the already described species are variable.
The first to recognise the species now placed in "Dunckerocampus" as worthy of a separate genus was the German ichthyologist George Duncker, and for this reason he coined "Acanthognathus" in 1912. However, unbeknown to him that name was preoccupied by a genus of ants. The replacement name "Dunckerocampus" honours Duncker.
Following a review in 1985, "Dunckerocampus" was generally considered a subgenus of "Doryrhamphus", but in 1998 it was recommended that "Dunckerocampus" again should be a genus, and in addition to the species formerly placed in it, it should include the newly described "D. boylei". When described in 2004, "D. naia" was also placed in this genus. Recent authorities generally recognise "Doryrhamphus" and "Dunckerocampus" as separate genera.
Species.
Species and genera follow most recent reviews of this group.