| Straightnose pipefish | |
|---|---|
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| Straightnose pipefish | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Syngnathidae |
| Genus: | Nerophis |
| Species: | N. ophidion |
| Binomial name | |
| Nerophis ophidion | |
| Synonyms | |
The straightnose pipefish (Nerophis ophidion) is a species of pipefish which lives in brackish water in the northeastern Atlantic, the Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea. [2]
The straightnose pipefish initially gives the impression of being a worm. The head is tiny and resembles that of a seahorse, to which this fish is closely related. The body is round in cross-section and the fins are tiny. The only fish with which it might be confused is the broadnosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) but that is more robust and has a hexagonal cross-section. The general colour of the straightnose pipefish is green with a yellowish belly. The female has pale blue markings on the head and body and both sexes become more colourful at breeding time when the male's snout turns yellow. The average size is about 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in) with a maximum of 30 cm (12 in). [3]
This fish is found in the North-eastern Atlantic along the coasts of Europe, its range extending from southern Norway to Morocco. It is also present in the Baltic, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. It inhabits sandy bottoms and is part of the fouling community, at depths from 2 to 15 m (6 ft 7 in to 49 ft 3 in).
The straightnose pipefish lives among eelgrass and seaweed with its tail wrapped around the vegetation and its head elevated. Here it is well-camouflaged, and feeds on zooplankton and copepods by sucking them in. [3]
This species of pipefish is used as a model to study mate choice and sex role-reversal. Like other species of pipefish and the closely related seahorses, the straighnose pipefish exhibits male parental care, meaning that female reproductive success is limited by her ability to court and mate with a suitable male. In the straighnosed pipefish, female-female competition and mate choice by males has resulted in female-specific coloration, female ornamental skin folds, and more active courtship in females. [4]
A seahorse is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus Hippocampus. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippókampos (ἱππόκαμπος), itself from híppos (ἵππος) meaning "horse" and kámpos (κάμπος) meaning "sea monster" or "sea animal". Having a head and neck suggestive of a horse, seahorses also feature segmented bony armour, an upright posture and a curled prehensile tail. Along with the pipefishes and seadragons they form the family Syngnathidae.
The viviparous eelpout, also known as the, viviparous blenny and European eelpout is species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zoarcidae, the eelpouts. It is notable for being ovoviviparous and gives birth to live larvae. It is a common soup ingredient in Mediterranean countries. The bones are of greenish colour, due to a harmless pigment. Their skin is slimy and the colour is variable.
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.
The common seadragon or weedy seadragon is a marine fish related to the seahorses. Adult common seadragons are a reddish colour, with yellow and purple markings; they have small leaf-like appendages that resemble kelp fronds providing camouflage and a number of short spines for protection. Males have narrower bodies and are darker than females. Seadragons have a long dorsal fin along the back and small pectoral fins on either side of the neck, which provide balance. Common seadragons can reach 45 cm (18 in) in length.
Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, which, together with the seahorses and seadragons, form the family Syngnathidae.
The greater pipefish is a pipefish of the family Syngnathidae. It is a seawater fish and the type species of the genus Syngnathus.
The thornback ray, or thornback skate, is a species of ray fish in the family Rajidae.
The banded pipefish or ringed pipefish is a species of fish in the Syngnathidae family.
Hippocampus angustus, commonly known as the narrow-bellied seahorse, western Australian seahorse, or western spiny seahorse, is a species of marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in waters off of Australia, from Perth to Hervey Bay, and the southern portion of Papua New Guinea in the Torres Strait. It lives over soft-bottom substrates, adjacent to coral reefs, and on soft corals at depths of 3–63 metres (9.8–206.7 ft). It is expected to feed on small crustaceans, similar to other seahorses. This species is ovoviviparous, with males carrying eggs in a brood pouch before giving birth to live young. This type of seahorse is monogamous in its mating patterns. The males only fertilize one female's eggs for the mating season because of the population distribution. While some seahorses can be polygamous because they are denser in population, this type of seahorse is more sparsely distributed and the cost of reproduction is high. Therefore, the risk to reproduce due to predatory and distributary factors limits this breed to one mate, often finding the same mate season after season.
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.
The short-snouted seahorse is a species of seahorse in the family Syngnathidae. It was endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the North Atlantic, particularly around Italy and the Canary Islands. In 2007, colonies of the species were discovered in the River Thames around London and Southend-on-Sea.
Chimaera monstrosa, also known as the rabbit fish or rat fish, is a northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean species of cartilaginous fish in the family Chimaeridae. The rabbit fish is known for its characteristically large head and small, tapering body. With large eyes, nostrils, and tooth plates, the head gives them a rabbit-like appearance, hence the nickname “Rabbit fish”. They can grow to 1.5 metres (5 ft) and live for up to 30 years.
The broadnosed pipefish or deepnosed pipefish is a fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is native to the Eastern Atlantic from Vardø in Norway, Baltic Sea and the British Isles at north to Morocco at south. It is also found in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Sea of Azov. It is common in the coastal shallow waters, usually on reefs with seagrasses. This species is notable for its "broad" snout, which is as deep as its body.
The worm pipefish is a species of pipefish, found in the North-eastern Atlantic along the coasts of Europe from the southern Norway, Kattegat and British Islands to Río de Oro in Western Sahara. The fish has a length of up to 15 cm. It inhabits rocky coastal areas with macrophytes at depths to 30 m.
The spotted pipefish, Nerophis maculatus, is a species of Pipefishes, found in the Eastern Atlantic: Portugal and Azores, Mediterranean Sea, especially numerous in its western part and the Adriatic Sea. Ovoviviparous, marine subtropical coastal fish up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) maximal length. It is inhabits rocky sites of coast, also in aquatic plants and algae, at depth up to 50 metres (160 ft).
The dusky pipefish is a species of the pipefishes, widespread in the western Atlantic from the Bermuda, Chesapeake Bay, northern part of the Gulf of Mexico, Bahama, and the western Caribbean Sea to Panama in south. Marine subtropical demersal fish, which lives at the depth up to 22 metres (72 ft), usually up to 4 metres (13 ft). The maximal length of the fish is 25 centimetres (9.8 in).
The chain pipefish is a pipefish species. It inhabits the western Atlantic from Virginia, Bermuda and northern Gulf of Mexico to Campeche and Jamaica, but is absent from the Bahamas. It is a marine subtropical reef-associated fish, up to 38 cm length.
The snake pipefish 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.
Polyandry in fishes is a mating system where females mate with multiple males within one mating season. This type of mating exists in a variety of animal species. Polyandry has been found in both oviparous and viviparous bony fishes and sharks. General examples of polyandry occur in fish species, such as green swordtails and Trinidadian guppies. Specific types of polyandry have also been classified, such as classical polyandry in pipefish cooperative polyandry in cichlids and convenience polyandry in sharks.
