| Tube-snouts | |
|---|---|
| Aulorhynchus flavidus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Gasterosteiformes |
| Family: | Aulorhynchidae |
| Genera | |
|
Aulichthys |
|
The tube-snouts are a family, the Aulorhynchidae, of fish related to the sticklebacks. There are only two species in the family, each placed in its own genus. Both are found in shallow marine waters, with one living off the west coast of North America, and the other off the coast of Japan.
The fish physically resemble sticklebacks, but are thinner, longer, bodies and about fifteen small spines in front of the dorsal fin. They also possess slender snouts, hence the common name. Like the sticklebacks, they feed on small invertebrates and fish larvae.[1]
Also, like sticklebacks, they produce a sticky secretion from their kidneys when breeding. Whereas sticklebacks use this secretion to bind plant matter together to create a nest, the tube-snouts simply attach their eggs to a substrate. Aulorhynchus attaches its eggs to kelp, while Aulichthys lays them inside sea squirts.[1]
Family Aulorhynchidae