Biodiversity & Conservation

Great pipefish - Syngnathus acus

Syngnathus acus

Image Keith Hiscock - Syngnathus acus, the greater pipefish, swimming along the seabed at 20 m depth. Image width ca 20 cm.
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Distribution map

Syngnathus acus recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Syngnathus acus is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Chordata Sea squirts, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals
Class Actinopterygii Ray-finned fish, e.g. sturgeon, eels, fin fish, gobies, blennies, and seahorses
Authority Linnaeus, 1758
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Syngnathus acus is widely distributed along the south and west coasts of England extending up the west coast of Scotland. Recorded from several sites on the north east and south coasts of Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found in shallow waters among seaweed or rockpools and to depths of about 90 m. It can also be found on sand and mud extending into the mouths of estuaries.
Text page icon Description Body slender and elongate, light greenish to dark brown in colour with variable markings. Pectoral, dorsal, anal and tail fins present. Snout cylindrical, equal to or less than eye diameter. There are 18 -19 body rings between head and dorsal fin
Identifying features
  • Body divided into distinct bony rings.
  • Dorsal fin with 36 -45 rays.
  • 17 - 21 body rings between base of pectoral fin and anus.
  • Snout rounded in cross section and greater than half the length of head.
Additional information icon Additional information No text entered

This review can be cited as follows:

Dean Russel 2002. Syngnathus acus. Great pipefish. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 22/05/2012]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=4412>