Taxonomy & naming
Peters described the species in 1868 from Pulau Majan, Borneo, and the Catalog of Fishes lists it in Microphis. Stores sell it as Doryichthys martensii, the genus in which it sat for many years. The two genera are close, and the Catalog of Fishes name is the valid one. It belongs to the family Syngnathidae.
Morphology
A slender pipefish with a body encased in bony rings and a tubular snout, as in other Microphis. The trade name peacock-tail refers to the spotted fan of the tail fin. A maximum length is not recorded in the sources the atlas holds.
Habitat
The type locality is on Borneo, and the species is a fish of fresh water. Its wider range is not recorded in the sources the atlas holds, and no water chemistry figures are recorded.
Feeding
Diet has not been recorded here. Freshwater pipefishes take small live crustaceans and insect larvae, and aquarium animals need live copepods, newly hatched brine shrimp and similar foods.
Mating
Courtship is not described in the sources the atlas holds.
Breeding
As in all pipefishes, the male carries the eggs, attached to the underside of the body or in a pouch, until the young hatch as miniatures. Details for this species are not recorded.
In the aquarium
A specialist fish. Keep it in a quiet, well-planted tank with gentle flow and a steady supply of live food, with no quick feeders in the tank. Wild-caught animals that refuse non-living food do poorly, so confirm feeding before buying.
Conservation
No IUCN assessment is known to the atlas for Microphis martensii.