Syngnathus temminckii (longsnout pipefish) is the most common pipefish in southern African estuaries, ranging from Walvis Bay (Namibia) to the Tugela River on the east coast of South Africa.[1]

Longsnout pipefish
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Genus: Syngnathus
Species:
S. temminckii
Binomial name
Syngnathus temminckii
Kaup, 1856
Synonyms
  • Syngnathus rubescens Risso, 1810
  • S. brachyrhynchus Kaup, 1856
  • S. delalandi Kaup, 1856
  • S. alternans Günther, 1870

The fish is named in honor of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778-1858), the director of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden, Netherlands), where the type specimens are housed. [2]

Biology

edit

This species is common in estuaries, usually in eelgrass beds, but has also been found offshore to depths of 110 m.[1] Sexual maturity is reached at 12 cm, and breeding occurs from March to November. Males carry the developing embryos in a brood pouch on their belly.[1]

Taxonomy

edit

Syngnathus temminckii was until 2013 synonymised with the European species S. acus (greater pipefish), but morphological data show that it is distinct.[3] Genetic data further indicate that it is not even the sister taxon of S. acus, but of another southern African species, the critically endangered estuarine pipefish, S. watermeyeri.[3]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Heemstra, P.C. (2004) Coastal Fishes of Southern Africa. NISC (PTY) LTD
  2. ^ Christopher Scharpf & Kenneth J. Lazara (22 September 2018). "Order SYNGNATHIFORMES: Families AULOSTOMIDAE, CENTRISCIDAE, FISTULARIIDAE, SOLENOSTOMIDAE and SYNGNATHIDAE". The ETYFish Project Fish Name Etymology Database. Christopher Scharpf and Kenneth J. Lazara. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b Mwale, M., Kaiser, H., Barker, N.P., Wilson, A.B. & Teske, P.R. (2013) Identification of a uniquely southern African clade of coastal pipefishes Syngnathus spp.. Journal of Fish Biology 82: 2045-2062