Tubesnout

Aulorhynchus flavidus

Tubesnout

Aulorhynchus flavidus

Sandy Coast

At the Aquarium

Sandy Coast

Appearance

Tubesnouts are long skinny fish that grow to be 7 in. long. Female tubesnouts have a dark brown colored back with a tan colored belly and a black stripe around the eye. Male tubesnouts have a bright orange fluorescent spot on their pelvic fins. Males also have blue iridescence on their snout and spots down their sides. Male tubesnouts also have more black around their eyes.

Habitat

Eelgrass and kelp beds in sandy bays and offshore waters.

Diet

Microscopic crustaceans and fish larvae.

Life History

The tubesnout life cycle begins when females lay their pink eggs. The male tubesnout defends the eggs until they hatch about two weeks later. By the time the babies are two months old they will be around two inches long. These two month old babies will begin schooling together for safety, reaching maturity after about a year. Tubesnouts repeat this cycle every year with eggs being laid every summer. The oldest recorded tubesnouts were estimated to have been around 9 years old.

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Tubesnouts are important for the transfer of nutrients from the bottom to the top of the food web. As the tubesnout eats plankton and fish larvae and then gets eaten by larger predators, it allows all the nutrients from its food to be passed along to other animals.

Northern Mexico to Southern Alaska.

Tubesnouts can be found in Oregon waters! They are a fun fish to spot while scuba diving.

Male tubesnouts are territorial. During the summer breeding season males will defend their territories, launching themselves at competing tubesnouts. These territories are established around the base of kelp fronts.
Males produce a string-like substance and use it to tie the base of kelp blades together. This creates a nest for multiple female tubesnouts to lay their eggs within. Nests tend to be built at least 30 ft. underwater.

Citations & Other Resources

Hart. J. L., N. B. Andrews. 1988. Pacific Fishes of Canada. Bulletins of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada. Canadian Government Publishing Center Supplies and Services Canada. Ottawa, Canada.
Encyclopedia of Puget Sound. 2024. Aulorhynchus flavidus. University of Washington. https://www.eopugetsound.org/species/aulorhynchus-flavidus
Boschung H. T., J. D. Williams, D. W. Gotshall, D. K. Caldwell, M. C. Cadwell, C. Nehring, J. Verner. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Fishes, Whales & Dolphins. Chanticleer Press Inc., New York, NY, USA.
Allen L. G, M. J. Schram. 2014. Male Mating Posture and Courtship Coloration of the Temperate Marine Tubesnout, Aulorhynchus flavidus (Gill). Bulletin SOuthern California Academy of Sciences 113(3):176-179.

Tubesnout

Tubesnout

At the Aquarium

Appearance

Habitat

Diet

Life History

IUCN Status

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Citations & Other Resources

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