Pipefish - cryptic beauties
Observant scubadivers diving over eelgrass meadows but also over sandy bottom from shallowest regions to several meters depth can presently find common and, with a little luck, less frequent representatives of a bizarre and fascinating group of bony fishes - pipefish
Broad-nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle). Photo: R. Rathke
Pipefish belong to the Syngnathiformes, a bizarre group of bony fishes that also comprises seahorses, weedy and leafy sea dragons. All Syngnathiformes have several physical features in common, a fused jaw and a partly reduced body musculature – species of this group mostly use pectoral and dorsal fins for locomotion. Within this group, pipefish belong to the family Syngnathidae.
In the western Baltic pipefish species of the genus Syngnathus and “snake pipefish” species of the genus Nerophis and Entelurus are common. All have a distinctly elongated, snake like, straight body without conspicuous fins in common. A closer look nevertheless reveals features that facilitates assignment of the discovery to one of the genera mentioned above. The following table provides identification aids in order to enable the diver to fill in his dive-log and of course the TaMOs-protocol correctly.
| Caudal fin / pectoral fins present? | ||||
| YES | NO | |||
| Tubular snout not laterally compressed. Diameter not bigger than eye diameter | Tubular snout laterally compressed, clearly higher than eye diameter | Snout straight, anal porus below basis of dorsal fin, tail end often used to adhere to substrate | Conspicuously colored: yellowish to light brownish with distinct bluish rings. Brown band on both sides of head (on height of eyes) | |
Lesser Pipefish (Syngnathus rostellatus) Greater Pipefish (Syngnathus acus)* | Broad-nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) | Straightnose pipefish (Nerophis ophidion) | Snake pipefish (Entelurus aequoreus) | |
| | | | ||
| Foto: R. Rathke | Foto: R. Rathke | Foto: R. Rathke | ||
*The Greater pipefish is rather uncommon and rare in the western Baltic and apart from maximum size impossible to distinguish from the Lesser pipiefish underwater. In the majority of all cases its the Lesser pipefish that´s encountered in the Baltic Sea.
Apart from fascinating looks pipefish have further suprising particularities! Curious? Then continue reading here ...more
