Aquarist Atlas
Oddballs & Brackish · Freshwater pipefish · Microphis

Microphis brachyurus

(Bleeker, 1854)

Short-tailed pipefish, Opossum pipefish

Full synonymy (10)
  • Doryichthys auronitens Kaup 1856 · junior synonym
  • Doryichthys hasselti Kaup 1856 · junior synonym
  • Doryichthys philippinus Fowler 1918 · junior synonym
  • Doryichthys pristipeltis Kaup 1856 · junior synonym
  • Microphis bleekeri Day 1865 · junior synonym
  • Microphis brachyurus brachyurus (Bleeker 1854) · earlier combination
  • Microphis jouani Duméril 1870 · junior synonym
  • Oostethus brachyurus (Bleeker 1854) · earlier combination
  • Syngnathus brachyurus Bleeker 1854 · original combination
  • Syngnathus polyacanthus Bleeker 1856 · junior synonym

Source: Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (Fricke, Eschmeyer & Van der Laan, eds.), California Academy of Sciences.

3 cited sourcesName checked against Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes, update of

IUCNLEAST CONCERN · 2019
CARESNOT LISTED
Type localityJakarta, Panimbang, western Java; Priaman, western Sumatra, Indonesiaper Catalog of Fishes
Scientific size8.5 in22 cm standard length
Depth—not recorded
DietWorms, small crustaceans and zooplankton
BreedingEgg layer; female deposits eggs on the male, who incubates them for several weeks
Sexual dimorphismYesMales carry eggs on the underside of the trunk or tail
PhotographsSee photosGoogle Images →

Microphis brachyurus, the short-tailed pipefish, is a widespread freshwater and estuarine pipefish in which adults live upstream and juveniles in estuaries. FishBase gives a maximum of 8.5 in SL.

What's in the name

Microphis brachyurus — my-KROH-fis brak-ee-YOOR-us

Microphis
  • mikrosGreek — small
  • ophisGreek — snake
brachyurus
  • brachysGreek — short
  • ouraGreek — tail

Taxonomy & naming

Bleeker described the species in 1854 as Doryichthys brachyurus. It sits in Microphis, a genus of mainly freshwater and estuarine pipefishes in Syngnathidae, and is known as the short-tailed pipefish or the opossum pipefish.

Morphology

A long, rigid, armoured pipefish with a tube-like snout. FishBase gives a maximum length of 8.5 in SL.

Habitat

Adults live in relatively shallow water of 10–59 in in still to slow-flowing stretches of freshwater streams and rivers. Juveniles and subadults are usually in estuaries, while adults move upstream into fresh water.

Feeding

Adults feed on worms, crustaceans and zooplankton, according to FishBase.

Mating

Courtship has not been described in detail for this species.

Breeding

Reproduction is ovoviviparous. The female places eggs on the ventral surface of the male's trunk or tail, and the male carries them for several weeks. FishBase notes that males may already be brooding at 4.5 in SL.

In the aquarium

A specialist fish that needs live food and calm, clean water. Because juveniles live in estuaries and adults in fresh water, mixed or slightly brackish conditions suit it best. FishBase gives no water chemistry range and says the fish is not seen in markets.

Conservation

The IUCN assessed Microphis brachyurus as Least Concern in 2019.

Common questions

Short-tailed pipefish (Microphis brachyurus): how big does it get?
Up to 8.5 in standard length (SL).
Short-tailed pipefish (Microphis brachyurus): where does it come from?
It is recorded from Indonesia.

Related species compared · Microphis

SpeciesAdult sizeTemperaturepHHardnessIUCN
Short-tailed pipefishMicrophis brachyurusthis species8.5 in SL———LC
Freshwater pipefishMicrophis deokhatoides7.5 in SL———DD
Microphis leiaspis7.5 in SL———LC
Freshwater pipefishMicrophis cuncalus7 in SL———LC
Deocata pipefishMicrophis deocata6 in SL———NT
Microphis heterosoma13.5 in SL———DD
Peacock-tail pipefishMicrophis martensii————NE

Recorded ranges from each species’ own page; hardness is the tolerance its sources give, not a measurement of the water it lives in.

Also from the Sunda Shelf

Sources

  1. FishBase — Microphis brachyurus
  2. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes (California Academy of Sciences) — Microphis brachyurus
  3. IUCN Red List — Microphis brachyurus

Naming authority: Microphis brachyurus in Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes ↗

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

Aquarist Atlas (2026). Microphis brachyurus. Aquarist Atlas.https://www.aquaristatlas.com/oddballs/microphis-brachyurus/

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Where it has been recorded

80 georeferenced records (GBIF). Each point is a field observation or museum specimen — pan and zoom to explore where this species turns up. The coordinates come straight from GBIF and are often rounded or tied to the nearest town or river landing, so a dot can sit just beside the actual water rather than in it.

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