Family Syngnathidae

My introduction to the family Syngnathidae came when I was an 18 year old in the wilds of Borneo. I spotted a tiny pipefish swimming in a rainforest stream. I was immediately entranced. I didn't see any more until I went to Fiji and started diving. I also researched -Fijian freshwater fish (sadly without an electric fishing machine) and reported two new pipefish records. Since that time I keep a keen eye out for these extraordinary animals.

Fishbase records 215 species in an amazing 52 genera - which suggests widescale divergent evolution or the prevalance of "splitters" amongst those who study these beasties. The Syngnathidae includes the well-known seahorses and sea dragons and also the lesser known pipefish and pipehorses. All share some characteristics - they typically have a long snout with a fused jaw and lack pelvic fins. They are also protected by bony armor. This helps prevent being eaten but doesn not lend itself to high speed locomotion. Seahorses swim mostly via a puny dorsal fin with turbo-charging from their pectorals when necessary. Seahorses, pipehorses and at least one of the sea dragons have a prehensile tail with which they anchor themselves to the substrate. Some of the seahorses are able to undergo color change and grow skin extensions to improve their camouflage.

In amost all of the syngnathids that have so far been studied the male carries the eggs - either in a pouch or in a ventral groove. The pygmy seahorses appear to be different and it is probable that the female carries the eggs which are internally fertlized by the male. The female pygmy then gives birth to live young. In those seahorse species where the male carries the young, they are nourished in a fishy equivalent of a uterus - the male not only provides the eggs with oxygen but also some nutrients.

Pipefish and seahorses are used in Chinese traditional "medicine" and some researchers are concerned this could impact wild seahorse and pipefish populations. This is not a view shared by Rudie Kuiter whose extraordinary book Seahorses and their Relatives can be purchased here.

Acentronura breviperula Shortpouch pygmy pipehorse

Corythoichthys flavofasciatus Network pipefish

Corythoichthys flavofasciatus Network pipefish color variant, Kadavu, Fiji.

Corythoichthys haematopterus Reeftop pipefish

FISH 0717 Corythoichthys haematopterus Reeftop pipefish, Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

Corythoichthys polynotatus Yellowspotted pipefish

Corythoichthys ocellatus Orange-spotted pipefish

FISH 1798 Corythoichthys ocellatus Orange-spotted pipefish. Raja Ampat, West Papua.

Corythoichthys sp. 1

Pipefish on octocoral. Sulawesi. Help with identification please!

Corythoichthys sp. 2 of Kuiter 2009, White-faced pipefish

FISH 3635 Corythoichthys sp. 2 of Kuiter 2009, White-faced pipefish, Kadavu, Fiji.

FISH 3627 Corythoichthys sp. 2 of Kuiter 2009, White-faced pipefish, Kadavu, Fiji.

Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus Ringed pipefish

FISH 3910 Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus Ringed pipefish, male with eggs. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 3896 Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus Ringed pipefish, male with eggs. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 3901 Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus Ringed pipefish,close-up of eggs. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

Hippocampus abdominalis Bigbelly seahorse

Hippocampus barbouri Zebra-snout seahorse

Hippocampus bargibanti Pygmy seahorse

Hippocampus bargibanti pygmy seahorse. This animal, photographed in Indonesia, is about 20 mm long.

FISH 1106. Hippocampus bargibanti, Pygmy seahorse vertical. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, Indonesia.

FISH 0966 So just how small are Hippocampus bargibanti? Here's one with a divemaster's probe and a finger for comparison. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat.

FISH 3238 Hippocampus bargibanti, Pygmy seahorse, Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

Hippocampus denise Denise's pygmy seahorse

FISH 3755 Denise's pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus denise, swimming. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 3765 Denise's pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus denise. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 3772 Denise's pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus denise. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 3116. One of the world's smallest vertebrates Hippocampus denise, Denise's pygmy seahorse, are highly cryptic in their host seafans. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 0297 Denise's pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus denise. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 1432 Hippocampus denise, Denise's pygmy seahorse on seafan with open polyps. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

Hippocampus kuda Oceanic seahorse

FISH 0094 Hippocampus kuda, Oceanic seahorse. Captive.

FISH 0118 Hippocampus kuda, Oceanic seahorse. Captive.

Hippocampus pontohi Pontoh's pygmy seahorse

FISH 1038 Hippocampus pontohi, Pontoh's seahorse. These fish are so tiny that a 1:1 macro is not sufficient for a big enough image. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 2486 Hippocampus pontohi, Pontoh's seahorse. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 2488 Hippocampus pontohi, Pontoh's seahorse. Two individuals interacting. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

FISH 3418 Probably Hippocampus pontohi but possibly an unidentified species. Kri Eco, Raja Ampat, West Papua.

Hippocampus reidi Longsnout seahorse

Hippocampus reidi, Longsnout seahorse, Glover's Reef, Belize. Image 1.

Hippocampus reidi, Longsnout seahorse, Glover's Reef, Belize. Image 2.

Hippocampus taeniopterus? Common seahorse

Phycodurus eques Leafy seadragon

Phycodurus eques Leafy seadragon (captive).

Phyllopteryx taeniolatus Weedy Seadragon