Tubesnout, tubenose • Aulorhynchus flavidus
Top: a single tubesnout photographed by Tristan Blaine. Left: tubesnout eggs laid on bull kelp. Photo by Jenn Burt. Right: a school of tubesnouts photographed by Mike Munroe.
Identification
The tubesnout is a small, elongated fish related to sticklebacks. Its somewhat rigid body can be up to 19 cm long. It has a long tube-shaped snout and a small mouth, with large pectoral fins set close to the head. Its single dorsal fin, set far back on the body, is mirrored below by a similarly-sized anal fin. Many small spines line the dorsal side from the head to the dorsal fin. The dorsal, anal, and forked tail fins are all fairly translucent, so the tubesnout tends to look like a shimmery light-coloured line rather than an actual fish. Body colouring is mottled brownish, varying between olive green and yellow-brown. Adult males develop bright blue spots and a fluorescent snout during the breeding season.
Habitat & Range
Schools of tubesnouts can be spotted hovering in shallow waters around docks and pilings, in kelp and eelgrass beds, and in rocky or sandy-bottomed areas. These schools tend to stay near the surface. Large, dense schools may be seen further from shore.
Similar Species
Upon first glance a tubesnout may be mistaken for a bay pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus), a longer, thinner fish with a low, elongated dorsal fin and tiny, rounded pelvic and tail fins. The bay pipefish also lacks the line of dorsal spines that link the tubesnout with the sticklebacks. Click here for a video that shows both species.
Intriguing Info
The tubesnout belongs to Family Aulorhynchidae, which contains just two living species. The tubesnout spawning process is intricate. After staking out territory, males create a nest of seaweed bound with sticky genital fluid. Each male is accompanied by up to ten females, who then take turns depositing clusters of eggs into the nest. The male fertilizes each cluster and then spends up to three weeks guarding the nest of eggs until they hatch into tiny (8mm long) transparent larvae.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/117568-Aulorhynchus-flavidus
The tubesnout is a small, elongated fish related to sticklebacks. Its somewhat rigid body can be up to 19 cm long. It has a long tube-shaped snout and a small mouth, with large pectoral fins set close to the head. Its single dorsal fin, set far back on the body, is mirrored below by a similarly-sized anal fin. Many small spines line the dorsal side from the head to the dorsal fin. The dorsal, anal, and forked tail fins are all fairly translucent, so the tubesnout tends to look like a shimmery light-coloured line rather than an actual fish. Body colouring is mottled brownish, varying between olive green and yellow-brown. Adult males develop bright blue spots and a fluorescent snout during the breeding season.
Habitat & Range
Schools of tubesnouts can be spotted hovering in shallow waters around docks and pilings, in kelp and eelgrass beds, and in rocky or sandy-bottomed areas. These schools tend to stay near the surface. Large, dense schools may be seen further from shore.
Similar Species
Upon first glance a tubesnout may be mistaken for a bay pipefish (Syngnathus leptorhynchus), a longer, thinner fish with a low, elongated dorsal fin and tiny, rounded pelvic and tail fins. The bay pipefish also lacks the line of dorsal spines that link the tubesnout with the sticklebacks. Click here for a video that shows both species.
Intriguing Info
The tubesnout belongs to Family Aulorhynchidae, which contains just two living species. The tubesnout spawning process is intricate. After staking out territory, males create a nest of seaweed bound with sticky genital fluid. Each male is accompanied by up to ten females, who then take turns depositing clusters of eggs into the nest. The male fertilizes each cluster and then spends up to three weeks guarding the nest of eggs until they hatch into tiny (8mm long) transparent larvae.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/117568-Aulorhynchus-flavidus
References
Aulorhynchus flavidus Gill, 1861. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.) E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 29/10/2014.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 87.
Wainwright, P. (2009). Stickleblog: Spotlight on Aulorhynchus flavidus. Wainwright Lab, University of California, Davis. Accessed 29/10/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).
Aulorhynchus flavidus Gill, 1861. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.) E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed 29/10/2014.
Lamb, A. and Edgell, P. Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest. Revised. (2010). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. P. 87.
Wainwright, P. (2009). Stickleblog: Spotlight on Aulorhynchus flavidus. Wainwright Lab, University of California, Davis. Accessed 29/10/2014.
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2014).