Greater pipefish (Syngnathus acus)

Scientific name: Syngnathus acus Linnaeus, 1758

Greater pipefish (Syngnathus acus)

The Greater pipefish (Syngnathus acus) is a brackish-water fish of the family Syngnathidae.

Biology

Found in coastal and estuarine waters to depths of at least 110 m; on sand, mud and rough bottoms. Common amongst algae and eel-grass (Zostera). Feeds on copepods, amphipods and decapod crustaceans. Ovoviviparous. The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Syngnathus acus
Family
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses)
Order
Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and Seahorses)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Maximum length
50.0
Depth range
0–110 m (0–361 ft)
Environment
Marine; brackish; demersal; depth range 0 - 110 m, usually 3 - 12 m
Climate
Subtropical
Distribution
Eastern Atlantic: Norway, Faroes and British Isles to Western Sahara, Senegambia, and from Namibia to Cape of Good Hope and northward to the coast of Zululand in the western Indian Ocean. Also throughout the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black seas. Despite literature records, occurrence in the Indo-Pacific outside South African waters lacks conclusive evidence.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Uses
Fisheries: of no interest
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Fec=200)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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