Snake pipefish

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Snake pipefish
Entelurus aequoreus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Subfamily: Syngnathinae
Genus: Entelurus
A. H. A. Duméril, 1870
Species:
E. aequoreus
Binomial name
Entelurus aequoreus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms

Syngnathus aequoreusLinnaeus, 1758

The snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) is a species of pipefish, from the family Syngnathidae, native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean where they are generally found amongst algae close in to shore. It is the largest species of pipefish recorded in European waters and has spread into arctic waters in the early 2000s.

Contents

Description

The snake pipefish has a very long, elongated and slender body which has a smooth skin and rounded cross-section and which is distinguished from other sympatric pipefishes by the near lack of bony rings. It has a long head, [2] with a thin dark stripe in its sides, [3] with a long, concave snout and a very small, protractile mouth. [4] The long based dorsal fin has 37–47 short rays while the caudal fin is minute and there are no pectoral fins or anal fins. They are pale brown or yellowish-green in colour with each of the 28–31 rings on the body marked out by pale blue rings with dark margins. [2] [3] The opening to the gills has been reduced to a pore in the membrane above the opercle and the gill membranes are fused to the body and the isthmus. They can grow to total lengths of 40 centimetres (16 in) in males and 60 centimetres (24 in) in females, although they are more commonly around 32 centimetres (13 in) and 45 centimetres (18 in) respectively. [5] The juveniles of less than 70 mm in length have membranous pectoral fins which disappear as they mature. [4]

Distribution

The snake pipefish occurs in the north eastern Atlantic from Iceland and Norway to the Azores, into the Baltic Sea. [1] In the early 2000s it expanded its range northwards as far as Svalbard and the Barents Sea. [6] It is not found in the Mediterranean Sea. [7]

Habitat and biology

The snake pipefish occurs in more open and deeper water than other species of pipefish, with a depth range of 10–100 metres (33–328 ft) and it lives among kelp and other types of deep water sea weeds, as well as sea grass such as Zostera marina , [1] but some individuals both young and large adults have been caught in pelagic waters. [2] Its colour and patterning provides good camouflage in such habitats. [8] The colonisation of the Waddensee sand flats by the invasive Japanese seaweed Sargassum muticum has facilitated an increase of snake pipefish in that area. [9]

They breed in mid summer when the males and females pair up. [2] They are ovoviviparous, [5] the female attaches over 1,000 [1] fertilised eggs, each about 1.2 millimetres (0.047 in) in diameter, [3] to a layer of sticky mucus in a groove on the male's belly where they remain until they hatch. [8] [2] Following their birth the fry are pelagic until they attain a length of 12 millimetres (0.47 in). [4] The adults feed on small crustaceans and larval fish [1] which are caught by being sucked into the mouth. [8] It was noted when the populations of this species increased in the 2000s that some species of sea bird began to feed on the pipefish but found them rather indigestible due to their bony structure. Among those, auks and terns tried to feed these pipefish to their young as their more normal diet of sand-eels, had declined. However, the pipefish have limited nutritional value compared to the oily-fleshed sand-eels and many chicks choked on their hard, rather indigestible bodies. [10]

Etymology

The generic name Entelurus is derived from the Greek entelès which means "complete" and oura which means "tail" referring to the long tail which stretches out from the anus and how it's hardly differentiated from the body while the specific name is from the Latin aequoreus which means "marine". [4]

Related Research Articles

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The filefish (Monacanthidae) are a diverse family of tropical to subtropical tetraodontiform marine fish, which are also known as foolfish, leatherjackets or shingles. They live in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Filefish are closely related to triggerfish, pufferfish and trunkfish.

<i>Sargassum</i> Genus of brown algae

Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales of the Phaeophyceae class. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs, and the genus is widely known for its planktonic (free-floating) species. Most species within the class Phaeophyceae are predominantly cold-water organisms that benefit from nutrients upwelling, but the genus Sargassum appears to be an exception. Any number of the normally benthic species may take on a planktonic, often pelagic existence after being removed from reefs during rough weather. Two species have become holopelagic—reproducing vegetatively and never attaching to the seafloor during their lifecycles. The Atlantic Ocean's Sargasso Sea was named after the algae, as it hosts a large amount of Sargassum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slimehead</span> Family of fishes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelagic fish</span> Fish in the pelagic zone of ocean waters

Pelagic fish live in the pelagic zone of ocean or lake waters—being neither close to the bottom nor near the shore—in contrast with demersal fish that live on or near the bottom, and reef fish that are associated with coral reefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garfish</span> Species of fish

The garfish, also known as the garpike, needlefish or sea needle, is a pelagic, oceanodromous needlefish found in brackish and marine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Black, and Baltic Seas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serpent eel</span> Species of eel

The serpent eel or sand snake-eel is an eel found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, western Mediterranean Sea, western Indian Ocean, western Pacific Ocean and the north-east and west coast of North Island in New Zealand. It is an elongated, slender fish with a length of up to 250 centimetres. It spends the day with its body immersed in the sediment, emerging into the open water at night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sargassum fish</span> Species of fish

The sargassum fish, anglerfish, or frog fish is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Antennariidae, the frogfishes, the only species in the genus Histrio. It lives among Sargassum seaweed which floats in subtropical oceans. The scientific name comes from the Latin histrio meaning a stage player or actor and refers to the fish's feeding behaviour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser sand eel</span> Species of fish

The lesser sand eel or sand lance is a species of fish in the sand lance family Ammodytidae. It is an elongated cylindrical fish which may be up to 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesser pipefish</span> Species of fish

The lesser pipefish or Nilsson's pipefish is a pipefish similar to the greater pipefish, but with no crest above the head. Usually it reaches up to 17 centimetres (6.7 in) in length, maximally 18 centimetres (7.1 in), although in South Wales they are usually not more than 10 to 13 centimetres long. They have a light to dark green-brown colour with bar-like markings on the sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black-striped pipefish</span> Species of fish

The black-striped pipefish is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic from the southern Gulf of Biscay to Gibraltar, also in the Mediterranean and Black Seas. As the introduced species it is mentioned in the Caspian Sea and fresh waters of its basin.

<i>Cephalopholis fulva</i> Species of fish

Cephalopholis fulva, the coney or the butterfish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the western Atlantic. It is associated with reefs and is a quarry species for commercial and recreational fisheries. It can be found in the aquarium trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal fish</span> Fish that inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf

Coastal fish, also called inshore fish or neritic fish, inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf. Since the continental shelf is usually less than 200 metres (660 ft) deep, it follows that pelagic coastal fish are generally epipelagic fish, inhabiting the sunlit epipelagic zone. Coastal fish can be contrasted with oceanic fish or offshore fish, which inhabit the deep seas beyond the continental shelves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common dragonet</span> Species of fish

The common dragonet is a species of dragonet which is widely distributed in the eastern North Atlantic where it is common near Europe from Norway and Iceland southwards. It is a demersal species that occurs over sand bottoms. It lives to a maximum age of around seven years. It is caught in bycatch by fisheries and is used in the aquarium trade.

Pelagic pipefish is a pipefish species of the family Syngnathidae.

<i>Stephanolepis hispidus</i> Species of fish

Stephanolepis hispidus, the planehead filefish, is a species of bony fish, a ray-finned fish in the family Monacanthidae.

<i>Halicampus</i> Genus of fishes

Halicampus is a genus of pipefishes of the family Syngnathidae, containing 12 described species.

<i>Menticirrhus saxatilis</i> Species of fish

Menticirrhus saxatilis, the northern kingfish or northern kingcroaker, is a species of marine fish in the family Sciaenidae. It lives in the shallow coastal waters of the western Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juvenile fish</span> Young fish

Fish go through various life stages between fertilization and adulthood. The life of fish start as spawned eggs which hatch into immotile larvae. These larval hatchlings are not yet capable of feeding themselves and carry a yolk sac which provides stored nutrition. Before the yolk sac completely disappears, the young fish must mature enough to be able to forage independently. When they have developed to the point where they are capable of feeding by themselves, the fish are called fry. When, in addition, they have developed scales and working fins, the transition to a juvenile fish is complete and it is called a fingerling, so called as they are typically about the size of human fingers. The juvenile stage lasts until the fish is fully grown, sexually mature and interacting with other adult fish.

<i>Monacanthus ciliatus</i> Species of fish

Monacanthus ciliatus, commonly known as the fringed filefish, the cuckold or the leather-fish, is a species of bony fish commonly found in shallow water in the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic staghorn sculpin</span> Species of fish

The Arctic staghorn sculpin is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This sculpin is found in the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic Ocean.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Schultz, J. (2014). "Entelurus aequoreus". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2014: e.T18258072A44775951. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T18258072A44775951.en .
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Alwyne Wheeler (1992). The Pocket Guide to Salt Water Fishes of Britain and Europe (1997 ed.). Parkgate Books. p. 138. ISBN   978-1855853645.
  3. 1 2 3 J.C. Hureau (ed.). "Fishes of the NE Atlantic and Mediterranean". Marine Species Identification Portal. ETI Bioinformatics. p. Snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoraeus). Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Entélure Entelurus aequoreus (Linnaeus, 1758)" (in French). Données d'Observations pour la Reconnaissance et l'Identification de la faune et la flore Subaquatiques. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Entelurus aequoreus". FishBase . February 2018 version.
  6. ↑ Dirk Fleischer; M. Schaber & D. Piepenburg (2007). "Atlantic snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) extends its northward distribution range to Svalbard (Arctic Ocean)". Polar Biology. 30 (10): 1359–1362. doi:10.1007/s00300-007-0322-y. S2CID   40670548. Abstract
  7. ↑ "Snake Pipefish - Entelurus aequoreus". The Marine Flora & Fauna of Norway. Kåre Telnes. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 "Snake Pipefish Entelurus aequoreus". Macduff Aquarium. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  9. ↑ Patrick Polle & Christian Buschbaum (2008). "Native pipefish Entelurus aequoreus are promoted by the introduced seaweed Sargassum muticum in the northern Wadden Sea, North Sea" (PDF). Aquatic Biology. 3: 11–18. doi:10.3354/ab00071.
  10. ↑ "Snake Pipefish - Entelurus aequoreus". British Marine Life. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
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