Tag Archives: brachyurus

Microphis brachyurus

24. July 2020

The short-tailed freshwater pipefish (Microphis brachyurus) has been described from Indonesia. For a long time it was believed to be a species with a worldwide distribution, which differed only slightly at the subspecies level in the various distribution areas. And so M. lineatus (code 430104 on our stocklist) and M. aculeatus (code 149104) were considered as subspecies of M. brachyurus for a long time. Today all three are considered as independent species.

As an adult animal M. brachyurus lives in freshwater, where the tiny young are born. However, these drift into the sea within 2-3 days, where they live for some time in plankton, until they migrate back into freshwater. The breeding in freshwater has not yet been successful – as far as we know.

Some specimens of M. brachyurus have a deep red stripe on the front third of the body. It is unknown what this stripe, which can occur in both sexes, means. The males can be easily recognized by the brood pouch on their stomach.

In our current import we could observe males during courtship. The snout and the brood pouch turn deep black in a flash. Just as fast the male can switch off the black color again.

For our customers: M. brachyurus has code 430115 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

Microphis brachyurus

3. July 2020

The short-tailed freshwater pipefish (Microphis brachyurus) has been described from Indonesia. For a long time it was believed to be a species with a worldwide distribution, which differed only slightly at the subspecies level in the various distribution areas. And so M. lineatus (code 430104 on our stocklist) and M. aculeatus (code 149104) were considered as subspecies of M. brachyurus for a long time. Today all three are considered as independent species.

As an adult animal M. brachyurus lives in freshwater, where the tiny young are born. However, these drift into the sea within 2-3 days, where they live for some time in plankton, until they migrate back into freshwater. The breeding in freshwater has not yet been successful – as far as we know.

Some specimens of M. brachyurus have a deep red stripe on the front third of the body. It is unknown what this stripe, which can occur in both sexes, means. The males can be easily recognized by the brood pouch on their stomach.

In our current import we could observe males during courtship. The snout and the brood pouch turn deep black in a flash. Just as fast the male can switch off the black color again.

For our customers: M. brachyurus has code 430115 on our stocklist. Please note that we only supply the wholesale trade.

Text & Photos: Frank Schäfer

L168 Zonancistrus brachyurus

18. October 2017

We obtained wonderful L168 from Brazil. In this case the L-number provides a safer information than the scientific name. Due to several misidentifications this fish was in the hobby initially named Peckoltia pulcher, then Dekeyseria pulcher, sometimes also Zonancistrus pictus. But the valid name (this is at least current state of the art) is Zonancistrus brachyurus. Moreover, this species is often confused with the very similar species L52 from the Orinoco basin.

Zonancistrus brachyurus attains a maximum length of about 15 cm.  It originates from the Rio Negro system. L168 is very peaceful against conspecifics and can be kept in larger groups. This makes breeding attempts easier. Anyone who tries to breed the beautiful fish is recommended to use very soft water with an pH of 5.5 to 6 and a water temperature between 26 and 28°C. L168 is a typical cave spawner.

For our customers: the fish have code 26480-L 168-4 on our stocklist. Please note that we exclusively supply the wholesale trade.

Text & photos: Frank Schäfer