Bay Pipefish

Syngnathus leptorhynchus

Osteichthyes: Syngnathidae

Pipefish, seahorses and sea dragons make up the family Syngnathidae, a name that refers to the characteristic of having the jaws fused together into an upturned snout, ending in a small, toothless mouth. Bay pipefish typically swim among eelgrass beds, using the dorsal fin for locomotion, and feed on small crustaceans.

Fish in this family have an almost unique reproductive strategy in which the male does most of the parenting! When the female lays her eggs she delivers them to the male, who then fertilizes them and incubates them. The developing pipefish (sometimes from two or three mothers) are carried in a brood pouch on the underside of the body until they are ready for release, shown happening here. In this species the young are fully developed miniatures of the adult when released, and are ready to start living independently of the parents.

Upper Newport Bay, Newport Beach, Orange County, CA. 8/16/08. © Peter J. Bryant

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