tubesnout, either of the two species of fishes in the family Aulorhynchidae (order Gasterosteiformes). Both species—Aulorhynchus flavidus and Aulichthys japonicus—are marine and restricted to coastal regions of the northern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomically, they are sometimes placed in the stickleback family, Gasterosteidae. Tubesnouts are named for their extended snouts.
The larger tubesnout, Aulorhynchus flavidus, is found along the North American coast from Alaska to the Baja Peninsula of Mexico among giant kelp and eelgrass. This rarely sighted species attains a length of about 18 cm (7 inches). It builds a nest out of giant kelp fronds, and the eggs adhere to these fronds after the female deposits them. The other species, Aulichthys japonicus, occurs in the northwestern Pacific near Japan and Korea. Both species feed on small, planktonic crustaceans and fish larvae.