Common names

Types of pipefish

5 species carry pipefish in an English common name. They sit in 1 family, so the group is a name, not a scientific rank.

About pipefish

Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, which, together with the seahorses and seadragons (Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx), form the family Syngnathidae. The name comes from Ancient Greek σύν (sún), meaning "together", and γνάθος (gnáthos), meaning "jaw", referring to the fused jaw that the subfamily's species have in common.

Description

Pipefish look like straight-bodied seahorses with tiny mouths. The name is derived from the peculiar form of the snout, which is like a long tube, ending in a narrow and small mouth which opens upwards and is toothless. The body and tail are long, thin, and snake -like. They each have a highly modified skeleton formed into armored plating. This dermal skeleton has several longitudinal ridges, so a vertical section through the body looks angular, not round or oval as in the majority of other fishes.

A dorsal fin is always present, and is the principal (in some species, the only) organ of locomotion. The ventral fins are consistently absent, and the other fins may or may not be developed. The gill openings are extremely small and placed near the upper posterior angle of the gill cover.

Many are very weak swimmers in open water, moving slowly by means of rapid movements of the dorsal fin. Some species of pipefish have prehensile tails, as in seahorses. The majority of pipefishes have some form of a caudal fin (unlike seahorses), which can be used for locomotion. See fish anatomy for fin descriptions. Some species of pipefish have more developed caudal fins, such as the group collectively known as flagtail pipefish, which are quite strong swimmers.

Habitat and distribution

Most pipefishes are marine dwellers; only a few are freshwater species. They are abundant on coasts of the tropical and temperate zones. Most species of pipefish are usually 35–40 cm (14–15.5 in) in length and generally inhabit sheltered areas in coral reefs or seagrass beds.

Habitat loss and threats

Due to their lack of strong swimming ability pipefish are often found in shallow waters that are easily disturbed by industrial runoffs and human recreation. Shorelines are also affected by boats and drag lines that move shoreline sediment. These disturbances cause a decrease in seagrasses and eelgrasses that are vital in pipefish habitats. The pipefish's narrow range distribution indicates that they are less able to adapt to new habitats or habitat change.

Another factor that affects pipefish populations is their use in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) remedies, despite the lack of evidence of efficacy beyond placebo. Syngnathidae in general are in high demand for pseudo-scientific medicinal cures but pipefish are even more exploited because of a belief in their higher level of potency (because they are longer than the more common variety of seahorses).

The aquarium trade of pipefish has also increased in recent years.

Reproduction and parental care

Pipefishes, like their seahorse relatives, leave most of the parenting duties to the male, which provides all of the postzygotic care for its offspring, supplying them with nutrients and oxygen through a placenta -like connection. It broods the offspring either on distinct region of its body or in a brood pouch. Brood pouches vary significantly among different species of pipefish, but all contain a small opening through which female eggs can be deposited. The location of the brood pouch can be along the entire underside of the pipefish or just at the base of the tail, as with seahorses. Pipefish in the genus Syngnathus have a brood pouch with a ventral seam that can completely cover all of their eggs when sealed. In males without these pouches, eggs adhere to a strip of soft skin on the ventral surface of their bodies that does not contain any exterior covering. The evolution of male brooding in pipefish is thought to be a result of the reproductive advantage granted to pipefish ancestors that learned to deposit their eggs onto the males, who could escape predation and protect them. Furthermore, the ability to transfer immune information from both the mother (in the egg) and the father (in the pouch), unlike other chordates in which only the mother can transfer immune information, is believed to have an additive beneficial effect on offspring immunity.

Courtship between male and female pipefish involves lengthy and complicated shows of display. For example, in Syngnathus typhle, copulation is always preceded by a ritualized dance by both sexes. The dance involves very conspicuous wriggling and shaking motions, especially in comparison to the species' otherwise extremely secretive lifestyle. Under the threat or presence of a predator, pipefish are more reluctant to perform their dances. In addition, when risk of predation is high, they copulate less frequently, dance less per copulation, and females transfer more eggs per copulation. Although S. thyphle males normally prefer to mate with larger females, they mate randomly when potentially threatened by predators. Furthermore, in Corythoichthys haematopterus, similar ritualized mating dances were hypothesized to aid in reproductive synchronization, by allowing the female to assess male willingness to spawn so her eggs are not wasted.

During pipefish copulation, which signifies the termination of the courtship dance, the female transfers her eggs through a small ovipositor into the male brood pouch or onto the special patch of skin on the male's ventral body surface. While the eggs are being transferred, the mating pair rises through the water until implantation is complete. At this point, the male assumes an S-shaped posture and fertilizes the eggs, all the while descending back down the water column. Males possessing brood pouches release their sperm directly into them; the pouches are then vigorously shaken. The ventral seams are not opened until weeks later when the male pipefish give birth.

A physical limit exists for the number of eggs a male pipefish can carry, so males are considered to be the limiting sex. Females can often produce more eggs than males can accommodate inside their brood pouches, resulting in more eggs than can be cared for. Other factors may restrict female reproductive success, including male pregnancy length and energy investment in progeny.

Because the pipefish embryos develop within the male, feeding on nutrients supplied by him, male pipefish invest more energy than females in each zygote. Additionally, they invest more energy per unit time than females throughout each breeding season. As a result, some males may consume their embryos rather than continuing to rear them under situations to regain energy in which their bodies are exhausted of resources. Pregnant male pipefish can absorb nutrients from their broods, in a manner very similar to filial cannibalism found in many other families of fish. The smallest eggs in a brood of various egg sizes usually have lower survival rates than larger ones due to the larger eggs having a longer-lasting food source (absent contributions from the father), hence they are more likely to develop into mature adults. In other instances, some pipefishes may consume the embryos of mates that seem less fit or desirable, as each male generally copulates with more than one female.

Young are born free-swimming with relatively little or no yolk sac, and begin feeding immediately. From the time they hatch, they are independent of their parents, which at that time may view them as food. Some fry have short larval stages and live as plankton for a short while. Others are fully developed but miniature versions of their parents, assuming the same behaviors as their parents immediately.

Pair bonding varies wildly between different species of pipefish. While some are monogamous or seasonally monogamous, others are not.

Many species exhibit polyandry, a breeding system in which one female mates with two or more males. This tends to occur with greater frequency in internal-brooding species of pipefishes than with external-brooding ones due to limitation in male brood capacity. Polyandrous species are also more likely to have females with complex sexual signals such as ornaments. For example, the polyandrous Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli) displays considerable sexual dimorphic characteristics such as larger ornament area and number, and body size.

Pipefish species in focus

These species profiles show how members of the group differ. Their biology describes each named species, rather than every fish in the group.

Northern Pipefish

The northern pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus) is a northwest Atlantic species of fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae.

Description

The northern pipefish has a long, thin, rigid body encased in bony rings. up to 30.0 cm length. The northern pipefish has a long, thin head, which is rounded at the end of the mouth. The dorsal fin spreads across 4 to 5 of the bony rings that span the body of the northern pipefish. The species has a brood pouch, made up of two lateral flaps that meet along the central line of the fish. The caudal fin is rounded, the anal fin is small, and it lacks ventral and pelvic fins. The species is generally olive or brownish on top. It is typically 10 to 20 cm long, but can sometimes be seen up to 30 cm.

The Northern Pipefish is often regarded as an invader in freshwater ecosystems. Northern pipefish feed on many different organisms with freshwater ecosystems, however, studies have found zooplankton to be the primary organism in pipefish diets. There is evidence of seasonal migration.

Distribution and habitat

Occurs in the north-western Atlantic from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada to north-eastern Florida in USA and north-western Gulf of Mexico. Found on the depth <2–366 m. Commonly occurs in bays, tide pools, and anywhere sheltered from breaking surf.

Read the full species guide.

Chain Pipefish

The chain pipefish (Syngnathus louisianae) is a pipefish species. It inhabits the western Atlantic from Virginia, Bermuda and northern Gulf of Mexico to Campeche and Jamaica, but is absent from the Bahamas. It is a marine subtropical reef -associated fish, up to 38 cm length.

Description

The chain pipefish is a member of the family Sygnathidae. It is an elongate fish with the body encased in bony plates. They have a moderate-sized head, a rounded caudal fin, long snout and a small terminal mouth. The dorsal fin is moderate in length, the anal fin is greatly reduced, and the pelvic fins do not exist. The abdomen is flat or concave and may have a very small keel. The inferior trunk and tail ridges are not interrupted. Males have a brood pouch along the tail. There are 33-36 dorsal rays, 2 anal rays, 14 pectoral rays, 20 trunk rings, and 35-36 tail rings. The chain pipefish is one of the largest species of pipefishes in the western North Atlantic, with a maximum length of 381mm (15 in). The coloration of the chain pipefish, generally has a light colored background that is white to light brown. There is a dark brown stripe along the sides that extends onto the snout. There are lighter circular bands around the body between each body ring. The circular bands do not extend onto the ventral surface in the trunk area, but are visible along the tail. The anal, pectoral, and dorsal fins are generally unpigmented, but may have some scattered melanophores. The caudal fin is dusky.

Diet

Chain pipefish feed on small crustaceans, including shrimp, mysids, and amphipods.

Habitat

Chain pipefish are common is sea grass beds or among the stems of marsh grasses and reeds near the shore along the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Juvenile chain pipefish also occur in surface water to at least 80 km offshore.

Read the full species guide.

Gulf Pipefish

The Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli) is a species of pipefish in the member of the taxonomic family Sygnathidae. Syngnathus scovelli is native to the region of south Florida, United States, the Atlantic Ocean, etc. S. scovelli is similar to Microphis brachyurus.

Description

S. scovelli is an elongated fish encased in body rings. They are uniformly brown or dark olive green in color, with silvery, white vertical bars along the sides, sometimes appearing Y-shaped. Their maximum size is 183 mm SL, although most gulf pipefish rarely exceed 100 mm SL. They have a short snout, its length going into its HL 1.9-2.3 times. This species has 18-19 trunk rings and 30-34 tail rings. The dorsal fin is moderate in length and spans 2-4 trunk rings and 3-5 tail rings. In females, the dorsal fin is usually banded. The caudal fin is present and rounded. The anal fin is greatly reduced, and the pelvic fins are absent. Females have a well-developed keel on their abdomen that is reduced in both juveniles and males. Mature males have a brood pouch on their underside that spans 10-13 tail rings.

Diet

Gulf pipefish feed during the day time with their diet mainly consists of crustaceans such as copepods, amphipods, tanaids, and isopods, among other small crustaceans. Individuals less than 50 mm SL feed almost exclusively on copepods. Larger individuals feed more on amphipods, crustacean eggs, and caridean shrimp.

Habitat

The gulf pipefish is a marine-estuarine species. It commonly inhabits shallow, highly vegetated shoreline areas with clear, tannin-stained streams and rivers. They also commonly inhabit estuarine seagrass meadows. However, their species population have been declining due to the impact of growing human (Homo sapiens) population size. This cause negative effects such as nutrient loading, pollution, harmful algae blooms and habitat degeneration. There has been large substantial declines in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean coast and the coast of Florida, United states. The loss of much of the seagrass Meadows in the Indian River Lagoon along with the harmful ongoing algae blooms is causing a decline in the gulf pipefish species.

Read the full species guide.

Range