Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, which, together with the seahorses and seadragons, form the family Syngnathidae.
Syngnathus is a genus of fish in the family Syngnathidae found in marine, brackish and sometimes fresh waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. Fossils of these species are found from the Oligocene to the Pleistocene. They are known from various localities of Greece, Italy, Germany and United States.
Solenostomus, also known as the ghost pipefishes, false pipefishes or tubemouth fishes, is a genus of fishes in the order Syngnathiformes. Solenostomus is the only genus in the family Solenostomidae, and includes six currently recognized species. Ghost pipefishes are related to pipefishes and seahorses. They are found in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific.
Leptonotus is a genus of pipefishes of the family Syngnathidae. The name is derived from the Greek leptos meaning "thin" and noton meaning "back".
Doryrhamphus and Dunckerocampus, popularly known as flagtail pipefish, are two genera of fishes in the family Syngnathidae. They are found in warm, relatively shallow waters of the Indo-Pacific, with a single species, D. paulus, in the eastern Pacific. Most of these pipefishes are very colourful, and are fairly popular in the marine aquarium hobby despite requiring special care and not being recommended for beginners.
Microphis is a genus of pipefishes within the family Syngnathidae. Members of this genus are notable among the Syngnathidae for residing in mainly fresh and brackish waters. Adults breed in coastal rivers, streams, or lakes, and fertilized eggs are carried by the male pipefish in a brood pouch extending along his entire ventral surface.
The Hippocampinae are a subfamily of small marine fishes in the family Syngnathidae. Depending on the classification system used, it comprises either seahorses and pygmy pipehorses, or only seahorses.
Halicampus is a genus of pipefishes of the family Syngnathidae, containing 12 described species.
Bryx is a genus of pipefishes.
Cosmocampus is a genus of pipefishes.
Minyichthys is a circumtropical genus of pipefishes consisting of species from the Indo-Pacific and eastern and western Atlantic regions. The genus is characterized as having a maximum standard length of about 60 mm, with two or three anal fin rays. Minyichthys species can be differentiated from members of the closely related genus Micrognathus by their higher frequency of total subdorsal rings.
Doryrhamphus excisus is a species of flagtail pipefish from the genus Doryrhamphus. Its common names include blue-striped pipefish and blue-and-orange cleaner pipefish. The fish is found throughout much of the Indo-Pacific and tropical East Pacific.
Cosmocampus heraldi is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is known from only seven specimens, which were found at the Desventuradas and Juan Fernandez Islands in Chile. It inhabits rocky reefs and sandy areas at depths of 6–23 metres (20–75 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 7 centimetres (2.8 in). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans like other pipefish. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs until giving birth to live young.
Cosmocampus howensis is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the South Pacific from Jervis Bay to Easter Island. It lives in lagoons and on rocky reefs, where it grows to lengths of 10–12 centimetres (3.9–4.7 in). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans, similar to other pipefishes. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs before giving birth to live young.
Doryrhamphus negrosensis, commonly known as Negros pipefish, flagtail pipefish, Masthead Island pipefish or Queensland flagtail pipefish, is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the Western Pacific Ocean, from Borneo to Vanuatu and the Yaeyama Islands to the Rowley Shoals and the Great Barrier Reef. It lives in mud flats and reefs, both coral and rocky, where it is often associated with sea urchins. It is a rather solitary species which may be found in pairs or small groups. It inhabits depths to 9 metres (30 ft), and can grow to lengths of 6.2 centimetres (2.4 in). Although little is known of its feeding habits, it is expected to feed on harpacticoid copepods, gammarid shrimps, and mysids, similar to other pipefish, it may also act as a cleaner fish like other species in the genus Doryrhamphus. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs before giving birth to live young. Males may brood at 4.3 cm. It is a small bluish to bluish-grey pipefish which has a pale stripe along the dorsal side of the head and snout, and a dark fan-like caudal fin which has white margins and an orange base.
Dunckerocampus pessuliferus, occasionally Doryrhamphus pessuliferus, is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is a coastal species, inhabiting waters around the Coral Triangle, including the Philippines, Indonesia, and northwestern Australia. It lives in coral patches on sandy and muddy slopes at depths of 15–44 metres (49–144 ft), where it can grow to lengths of 16 centimetres (6.3 in). It is an active cleaner, feeding off of parasitic crustaceans growing on other fishes. The adult fish form pairs and are normally observed swimming along the bottom around large remote coral heads on muddy slopes. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs and giving birth to live young.
Gray's pipefish, also known as the mud pipefish or spiny pipefish is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific in the Gulf of Aden, Sri Lanka, and from the Gulf of Thailand to Japan, the Marshall Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. It lives to depth of 100 metres (330 ft), and planktonic juveniles have been found above depths of 3,000 metres (1.9 mi). It occurs in muddy habitats, in estuaries, and on coral reefs, where it likely feeds on small crustaceans. It can grow to lengths of 20 centimetres (7.9 in). This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs in a brood pouch before giving birth to live young.
Hippichthys spicifer, commonly known as bellybarred pipefish, banded freshwater pipefish, or blue spotted pipefish, is a species of pipefish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Sri Lanka and Samoa. It lives in shallow coastal and estuarine habitats such as mangroves, tidal creeks, and the lower reaches of rivers, where it can grow to lengths of 18 centimetres (7.1 in). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans and mosquito larvae. This species is ovoviviparous, with males brooding eggs in a brood pouch before giving birth to live young. It is reproductively active all year, with males and females reaching sexual maturity at 10.8 and 10 centimetres respectively. Brood size can vary significantly, from 114 to 1764, with an average of 604.4 plus or minus 322.8.
Microphis insularis, also known as the Andaman pipefish, is a species of freshwater pipefish belonging to the family Sygnathidae. This species is found only in rivers and streams located in the Andaman Islands, India. They can reach 16 cm (6.3 in) in length and reproduce through ovoviviparity, in which males carry eggs and give live birth. The Andaman pipefish is considered threatened likely due to the effects of habitat degradation, invasive species, and the alteration of flow of its freshwater habitats.
Minyichthys inusitatus, also known as the West Atlantic pipefish is a species of marine fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae. They have been be found off the coast of Panama and Northern Argentina, though little is known about their full geographic range or preferred habitat in these areas. Minyichthys inusitatus is thought to live primarily at depths of greater than 30–40 meters. Their diet likely consists of small crustaceans such as copepods, amphipods, and mysid shrimps. Reproduction occurs through ovoviviparity in which the males brood eggs before giving live birth. This small species grows only to lengths of around 2.9 cm on average.
