pipefish

pipefish
/puyp"fish'/, n., pl. (esp. collectively) pipefish, (esp. referring to two or more kinds or species) pipefishes.
any elongated, marine and sometimes freshwater fish species of the family Syngnathidae, having a tubular snout and covered with bony plates.
[1760-70; PIPE1 + FISH]

* * *

fish
      any of about 200 species in 51 genera of elongated fishes (fish) allied to the sea horses (sea horse) in the family Syngnathidae (order Gasterosteiformes (gasterosteiform)). Pipefishes are very slender, long-bodied fishes that are covered with rings of bony armour. They have long tubular snouts and small mouths, a single dorsal fin, and usually a small tail fin. Depending on the species, they may range in length from about 2 to 65 cm (1 to 26 inches).

      Pipefishes are found in tropical and subtropical regions. They are primarily marine; however, some may enter and even live in freshwater environments. Pipefishes have diverse lifestyles; they usually inhabit coastal marine areas where they can feed and hide among the sea grasses, especially eelgrasses (eelgrass), or coral reefs (coral reef). Some are found in open oceans at depths of up to 400 metres (about 1,300 feet), and others live in fresh or brackish water. Furthermore, some pipefishes live in close association with other species; the bluestripe pipefish (Doryrhamphus excisus), for example, lives alongside other fishes and picks parasites off their bodies.

      Pipefishes prey upon small aquatic organisms and feed by sucking food rapidly into the mouth. Their reproductive behaviour, like that of sea horses, is distinctive in that the male carries the fertilized eggs (egg) until they hatch. Among pipefishes the eggs may be stuck to the ventral (under) surface of the male's body, embedded in a spongy area, or carried in a brood pouch. Different pipefishes exhibit varying degrees of brood pouch development; the brood pouch may be made up of simple folds of skin or “zip-front” enclosures or may exist as a fully formed cavity as in sea horses.

Elanor Bell Amanda Vincent
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • pipefish — [pīp′fish΄] n. pl. pipefish or pipefishes (see FISH) any of various long, narrow bony fishes (order Gasterosteiformes, family Syngnathidae) with a tubelike snout, of the same family as the sea horses …   English World dictionary

  • Pipefish — Pipe fish , n. (Zo[ o]l.) Any lophobranch fish of the genus {Siphostoma}, or {Syngnathus}, and allied genera, having a long and very slender angular body, covered with bony plates. The mouth is small, at the end of a long, tubular snout. The male …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pipefish — Taxobox name = Pipefish image width = 200px image caption = Alligator Pipefish Syngnathoides biaculeatus regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Actinopterygii ordo = Syngnathiformes familia = Syngnathidae subfamilia = Syngnathinae… …   Wikipedia

  • pipefish — noun fish with long tubular snout and slim body covered with bony plates • Syn: ↑needlefish • Hypernyms: ↑teleost fish, ↑teleost, ↑teleostan • Hyponyms: ↑dwarf pipefish, ↑Syn …   Useful english dictionary

  • pipefish — /ˈpaɪpfɪʃ/ (say puypfish) noun (plural pipefish or pipefishes) an elongate fish belonging to the Syngnathidae, a family of lophobranch fishes with an elongated tubular snout and a slender body of angular section, encased in bony armour;… …  

  • pipefish — noun Date: 1769 any of various fishes (family Syngnathidae) that are related to the sea horses and have a tube shaped snout and a long slender body covered with bony plates …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • pipefish — noun a small fish from the seahorse family …   Wiktionary

  • pipefish — n. fish with a long slender body and an elongated tubular snout …   English contemporary dictionary

  • pipefish — noun (plural same or pipefishes) a narrow elongated marine fish with segmented bony armour beneath the skin and a long tubular snout. [Syngnathus and other genera: numerous species.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • pipefish — pipe•fish [[t]ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ[/t]] n. pl. (esp. collectively) fish, (esp. for kinds or species) fish•es. ich any small, elongated fish of the family Syngnathidae, having a tubular snout and a covering of bony plates • Etymology: 1760–70 …   From formal English to slang

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”