Microphis heterosoma: how big does it get?

Microphis heterosoma is a freshwater pipefish from western Borneo and the Natuna Islands. Bleeker described it in 1851 from Sambas, and FishBase gives a maximum of 13.5 in SL. The IUCN lists it as Data Deficient.

What's in the name

Microphis

mikrosGreek — small
ophisGreek — snake

heterosoma

heterosGreek — different
somaGreek — body

Taxonomy & naming

Bleeker described the species in 1851 from Sambas in western Borneo, and it is now placed in Microphis (Syngnathidae). The epithet means different-bodied.

Morphology

A long, slender pipefish with a bony-ringed body and a tubular snout. FishBase gives a maximum of 13.5 in SL and notes that it may grow longer.

Habitat

FishBase records the species as known only from the Sambas River in West Kalimantan and the Natuna Islands, Indonesia, in freshwater.

Feeding

Diet is not recorded in the FishBase entry. Pipefishes take small live crustaceans and fish fry, sucked in through the tubular snout.

Mating

Courtship has not been described for this species.

Breeding

FishBase describes the species as ovoviviparous, with the male carrying the eggs in a brood pouch under the tail, as in other pipefishes.

In the aquarium

A difficult, specialist fish. Freshwater pipefishes need a mature, calm tank with live foods that they accept and no fast competitors. Sold rarely and only by specialist importers.

Conservation

The IUCN Red List classes Microphis heterosoma as Data Deficient (assessed 25 June 2018). The known range is limited to the Sambas River and the Natuna Islands.

Common questions

Microphis heterosoma: how big does it get?: Up to 13.5 in standard length (SL).
Microphis heterosoma: where does it come from?: It is recorded from Indonesia.

Related species compared · Microphis

Species	Adult size	Temperature	pH	Hardness	IUCN
Microphis heterosomathis species	13.5 in SL	—	—	—	DD
Peacock-tail pipefishMicrophis martensii	—	—	—	—	NE
Short-tailed pipefishMicrophis brachyurus	8.5 in SL	—	—	—	LC
Microphis leiaspis	7.5 in SL	—	—	—	LC
Freshwater pipefishMicrophis deokhatoides	7.5 in SL	—	—	—	DD
Freshwater pipefishMicrophis cuncalus	7 in SL	—	—	—	LC
Deocata pipefishMicrophis deocata	6 in SL	—	—	—	NT

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 Borneo

Sources

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

Last reviewed 2026-10-05.

How to cite

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

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Where it has been recorded

1 georeferenced record (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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