The Syngnathidae is a family of fish which includes seahorses, pipefishes, and seadragons. The name is derived from Ancient Greek: σύν, meaning "together", and γνάθος, meaning "jaw". The fused jaw is one of the traits that the entire family have in common.
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.
Stigmatopora is a genus of pipefishes native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
The greater pipefish is a pipefish of the family Syngnathidae. It is a seawater fish and the type species of the genus Syngnathus.
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.
Doryrhamphus is a genus of pipefishes, one of the two genera colloquially known as flagtail pipefishes and are popular in the aquarium trade. The members of this genus are native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans where they inhabit reef environments. The species in this genus have a maximum length of 14 centimetres (5.5 in) or less, with D. janssi being the only species that surpasses 8.5 centimetres (3.3 in). Most species have a horizontal blue line along their body, and all have a whitish-edged tail that is marked contrastingly with black, red or yellow.
Halicampus is a genus of pipefishes of the family Syngnathidae, containing 12 described species.
Choeroichthys is a genus of pipefishes of the family Syngnathidae native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Trachyrhamphus is a genus of pipefishes native to the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
Doryichthys, river pipefish, is a genus of Asian freshwater pipefishes.
The robust ghost pipefish, also known as the blue-finned ghost pipefish, Racek's ghost pipefish, robust-snouted ghost pipefish, or the squaretail ghost-pipefish, is a species of false pipefish belonging to the family Solenostomidae. Its appearance can vary greatly due to its ability to change colors over several hours, but the general body shape and fin shapes allow it to mimic a piece of seagrass.
Phoxocampus is a genus of pipefishes native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with these currently recognized species:
The short-tailed pipefish is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae. It is found in fresh and brackish waters from Sri Lanka and India east to southern Japan and the Society Islands. It inhabits places with little or no current in rivers, streams and estuaries.
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.
Microphis pleurostictus, the Luzon River pipefish (湖沼腹囊海龍), is a species of freshwater pipefish belonging to the family Syngnathidae.
Ichthyocampus carce, also known as the freshwater pipefish or Indian freshwater pipefish is a species of marine fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae. It can be found mainly in freshwater streams, rivers, and estuaries located in the Indian Ocean and West Pacific, from Indonesia to the western coast of India. It can live in both inland and coastal waters. This species can grow to a length of 15cm and feeds primarily on small invertebrates and zooplankton. Reproduction occurs through ovoviviparity, in which the males carry eggs in a brood pouch before giving live birth. Males of this species can brood roughly 280 offspring at a time.
Microphis deocata, also known as the rainbow belly pipefish or deocata pipefish, is a species of fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae. This freshwater species can be found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers in India and Bangladesh. Its diet likely consists of insect larvae and small crustaceans. Reproduction occurs through ovoviviparity in which males brood eggs before giving live birth. Microphis deocata is currently considered a near threatened species likely due to the effect of hydrological alterations on their freshwater habitat as well as overfishing, pollution, sedimentation, and invasive species.
