''Aulorhynchus'' is a monospecific genus of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Aulorhynchidae. Its only species is the tube-snout (''Aulorhynchus flavidus'') which is found off the western coast of North America.

Taxonomy

''Aulorhynchus'' was first proposed as a genus in 1861 by the American zoologist Theodore Gill, when he described ''Aulorhynchus flavidus'', placing it in a new monotypic genus. The type locality is given as the coast of Washington. This genus is included in the family Aulorhynchidae in the suborder Gasterosteoidei of the

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

Scorpaeniformes in the 5th edition of ''

Fishes of the World ''Fishes of the World'' by the American ichthyologist Joseph S. Nelson (1937–2011) is a standard reference for fish systematics. Now in its fifth edition (2016), the work is a comprehensive overview of the diversity and classification of the ...

''.

Etymology

''Aulorhynchus'', the genus name, is a combination of ''aulos'', meaning "flute", and ''rhynchus'', which means "snout", a reference to the flexible tubular snout of this species The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

, ''flavidus'' means "yellowish".

Description

This species grows to in total length. It physically resembles the sticklebacks, but has a thinner, longer body, with 24 to 27 small spines in front of the dorsal fin.

Biology

''Aulorhynchus'' also possess a slender snout, hence the common name. Like the sticklebacks, it feeds on small invertebrates and fish larvae. Also, like sticklebacks, it produces a sticky secretion from its kidneys when breeding. Whereas sticklebacks use this secretion to bind plant matter together to create a nest, the tube-snout simply attaches its eggs to a substrate. ''Aulorhynchus'' attaches its eggs to kelp, notably ''

Macrocystis pyrifera ''Macrocystis pyrifera'', commonly known as giant kelp or bladder kelp, is a species of kelp (large brown algae), and one of four species in the genus ''Macrocystis''. Despite its appearance, it is not a plant; it is a heterokont. Giant kelp is ...

''. Spawning occurs throughout the year, and males guard nest sites by actively defending them from predators. The nests are found at depths of 10–20 m and have been recorded up to 38 m.Limbaugh, C. 1962. Life history and ecological notes on the Tubenose, ''Aulorhynchus flavidus'', a hemibranch fish of western North America. ''Copeia'' 1962(3):549-555. The tubesnout feeds on small planktonic crustaceans, including mphipod, mysids, and crab larvae. This species finds use as a denizen in public

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

Habitat

The tubesnout is found in shallow marine waters off the Pacific coast of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

to a depth of , from Prince William Sound in Alaska to Rompiente, Baja California. The species inhabits rocky crevices, kelp beds, eelgrass, and areas with a sandy bottom substrate.

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2983558 Aulorhynchidae Fish of North America Monotypic ray-finned fish genera