Teleostei (teleosts) >
Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) >
Centriscidae (Snipefishes and shrimpfishes) > Centriscinae
Etymology: Aeoliscus: Derived from Aeolius, region from Asia Minor and Aeolus, the Greek god of winds (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Günther.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 2 - 42 m (Ref. 90102). Tropical; 32°N - 32°S, 38°E - 170°E
Indo-West Pacific: Tanzania (Ref. 51015) and Seychelles (Ref. 1623); then from southern Japan to New South Wales, Australia eastward to Vanuatu.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1602)
Dorsal spines (total): 3; Dorsal soft rays (total): 9 - 10; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 12. Recognized by hinged part of dorsal fin spine. Variable in color with habitat. Greenish-yellow with diffused stripe when in seagrass environment. Pale with black stripe when found on open substrate with white sand or rubble (Ref. 48635).
Body shape (shape guide): elongated; Cross section: compressed.
Form schools among the spines of Diadema or staghorn corals, and feed on minute crustaceans in the zooplankton. Remarkable for their strange body shape and swimming habit: the body is encased in an armor of thin, transparent plates; they swim in synchronized groups, each fish in a vertical position with the snout pointing downwards.
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Myers, R.F., 1991. Micronesian reef fishes. Second Ed. Coral Graphics, Barrigada, Guam. 298 p. (Ref. 1602)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: commercial
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