Pipefish or Pipehorse ??

[calypsonick]

What are these little guys ? Pipefish or Pipehorses ?

They are around 1.5 inches long and 1/8 inch in diameter. They like to hang out in the 10-15 meter depth range in sandy bottom hooked on to small viney plants. These two were spotted in the north coast of East Timor.

Some say that if they have protruding bellies and prehensile tails that makes them pipehorses as opposed ot pipefish. Is this correct?

Thanks
Nick

 

[Mel.B]

Hi Calypsonick,

I'm not an expert by any means, but my first instinct when i saw these photos in the UW section was that they were pipehorses. Whatever they are they are cuties and you are so lucky to see them.

Mel

Edit: Just looked in my book Australian Marine Life (temperate) comparing pipefish and pipehorses and they definately look more like pipehorses. If you (or anyone else) have access to Rudie Kuiter's guide to Syngnathids which is the definative guide to these fellas then you should know for certain.

 

[Rocha]

I also think it is a pipehorse! And it looks pregnant too.

 

[calypsonick]

Hi Calypsonick,

I'm not an expert by any means, but my first instinct when i saw these photos in the UW section was that they were pipehorses. Whatever they are they are cuties and you are so lucky to see them.

Mel

Edit: Just looked in my book Australian Marine Life (temperate) comparing pipefish and pipehorses and they definately look more like pipehorses. If you (or anyone else) have access to Rudie Kuiter's guide to Syngnathids which is the definative guide to these fellas then you should know for certain.

Thanks Mel! I'm going to have to track down a copy of that book.

Nick

 

[SubMariner]

I didn't even know there were pipehorses. I thought there were just pipefish & seahorses.

This is why I love ScubaBoard!

 

[gangrel441]

I didn't even know there were pipehorses. I thought there were just pipefish & seahorses.

This is why I love ScubaBoard!

I didn't think so either. When I was on the Belize Aggressor a few months ago, and the guides pointed out pipehorses to us. I was under the (probably mistaken) impression that what we were seeing were actually pipefish. Live and learn...

 

[maractwin]

I've got Kuiter's book, which is an excellent resource. From a quick skim, it looks like you found the Short-pouch Pygmy Pipehorse, Acentronura breviperula.

 

[calypsonick]

I've got Kuiter's book, which is an excellent resource. From a quick skim, it looks like you found the Short-pouch Pygmy Pipehorse, Acentronura breviperula.

Thanks, man!! That's them!! Cool name.

I found a couple of pics on the web.

http://www.edge-of-reef.com/singnatidi/htm/SINAcentronurabreviperulaen.htm
http://www.mondomarino.net/ricerca/index.asp?view=dett&q=&p=4&idf=446

http://www.underwaterstockphotography.com/image.pl/2209/Pigmy_Pipehorse.html