Northern pipefish

Northern pipefish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Syngnathiformes
Family:	Syngnathidae
Subfamily:	Syngnathinae
Genus:	Syngnathus
Species:	S. fuscus
Binomial name
Syngnathus fuscus D. H. Storer (fr), 1839

The northern pipefish (Syngnathus fuscus) is a northwest Atlantic species of fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae.

Description

The northern pipefish has a long, thing, rigid body encased in bony rings. up to 30.0 cm length. The northern pipefish has a long, thin head, which is rounded at the end of the mouth. The dorsal fin spreads across 4 to 5 of the bony rings that span the body of the northern pipefish. The species has a brood pouch, made up of two lateral flaps that meet along the central line of the fish. The caudal fin is rounded, the anal fin is small, and it lacks ventral and pelvic fins. The species is generally olive or brownish in color on top. It is typically 4 to 8 inches in length, but can sometimes be seen as up to 12 inches long.

Distribution and habitat

Occurs in the north-western Atlantic from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada to north-eastern Florida in USA and north-western Gulf of Mexico. Found on the depth <2–366 m.

References

• Syngnathus fuscus at FishBase
• Smith, L. C. The Inland Fishes of New York State. New York: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 1985, pp. 419.