The first thing you notice about the thread pipefish is that it is tiny. The research group at the Okinawa Churashima Foundation collected an extremely small fish at a depth of 8 meters off the coast of Motobu. The specimen was confirmed to be Kyonemichthys rumengani, a species of pipefish that had not been found in Japanese waters. Some scuba divers thought that this species was found in Japan, however, this was the first confirmed specimen. Observations of its structure and genetics, reveal it is closely related to the Urocampus pipefishes found in inland bays and brackish waters. Its Japanese common name is proposed to be hariyouji, because it resembles a needle.

Authors

Nozomi Hanahara, Miyako Tanimoto, & Naoki Shirakawa (Bold letters: the Churashima Foundation Staff)

Title

Kyonemichthys rumengani (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) is sister taxon to the pipefish genus Urocampus: genetic and morphological evidence

Journal

Species Diversity

Journal link

DOI: 10.12782/specdiv.27.293