PISCES : SYNGNATHIFORMES : Syngnathidae | BONY FISH |
![]() |
Syngnathus acus |
Description: Pipefish belong to the same family of fish as the sea-horses (Syngnathidae). They have long, slender bodies encased in an armour of segmented plates. The main body of the greater pipefish is polygonal in cross-section whilst the tail end is four-sided, giving the body an angular appearance. It has a relatively long snout with a small mouth at the tip. There is a distinctive hump on top of the head behind the eyes. It is usually pale brown to greenish-brown in colour with darker bands along the body. Adult fish can grow to a maximum length of 47cm.
Habitat: Pipefish are usually found in muddy or sandy areas living amongst seaweed or sea-grass at depths down to 20m. They feed on small planktonic organisms.
Distribution: This species is widespread all around the coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Similar Species: The greater pipefish most closely resembles Nilsson's pipefish (Syngnathus rostellatus) however the latter does not have a conspicuous hump behind the eyes and has a much shorter snout. The deep-snouted pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) is also similar but it too lacks a hump behind the eyes and has a much deeper snout.
Key Identification Features:
Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.
WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.
iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database
Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2016). Syngnathus acus (Linnaeus, 1758). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. https://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZG3760 Accessed on 2025-02-15 |
Copyright © National Museums NI, 2002-2023 |