Syngnathus fuscus
Northern Pipefish
NS
G5
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Gasterosteiformes (Sticklebacks and relatives)
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes)
Syngnathus
Syngnathus fuscus (Northern Pipefish)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (Carpenter, K.E. (ed.) 2002. The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. FAO, Rome.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Body shape: eel-like.
Distribution
Gulf of St. Lawrence S to Jupiter Inlet, Florida.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish, marine. demersal. depth range 5-49 m. Found in: estuaries.
Biology
To 305 mm.
Inhabits seagrass beds in bays and estuaries, but also enters fresh water (Ref. 7251). Resident in estuaries during spring through fall, migrates into near shore continental shelf waters during winter. Found in waters of 4-17 °C. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: in brood pouch or similar structure; bearers (external brooders); parental care: paternal. Male carries the eggs in a brood pouch (Ref. 205).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2014-01-08. Resilience: High (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Lazzari, M.A. and K.W. Able (1990) Northern pipefish, Syngnathus fuscus, occurrences over the Mid-Atlantic Bight continental shelf: evidence of seasonal migration. Environ. Biol. Fishes 27(3):177-185.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
Teixeira, R.L. and J.A. Musick (1995) Trophic ecology of two congeneric pipefishes (Syngnathidae) of the lower York River, Virginia. Environ. Biol. Fishes 43(3):295-309.
Bowman, R.E., C.E. Stillwell, W.L. Michaels and M.D. Grosslein (2000) Food of northwest Atlantic fishes and two common species of squid. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NE 155, 138 p.
Matsunuma, M. (2017) Syngnathus chihiroe, a new species of pipefish (Syngnathidae) from southern Japan. Zootaxa 4232(3):385-396.
Comments On Syngnathus fuscus