Straightnose pipefish
A pipefish with worm-like appearance and male parental care.
Last updated
Yuriy Kvach · via Wikipedia: Straightnose pipefish · CC BY-SA 3.0
The straightnose pipefish (Nerophis ophidion) is a species of pipefish found in brackish water of the northeastern Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea.[1] The cross-section of this pipefish's body is circular, and it possesses very small fins.[2] Typical lengths for this species range from 15 to 20 cm, though individuals can reach up to 30 cm.[2]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- ClassActinopterygii
- DivisionTeleostei
- OrderSyngnathiformes
- FamilySyngnathidae
- GenusNerophis
- SpeciesNerophis ophidion
Named by (Linnaeus, 1758)
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Straightnose pipefish (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 127385 (CC BY 4.0)
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
- LC▲ this species
- NT
- VU
- EN
- CR
- EW
- EX
Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.3 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Straightnose pipefish
Where the straightnose pipefish has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (3,386 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 69 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Biology and range
The female has pale blue markings on the head and body.[2] At first glance, the straightnose pipefish resembles a worm.[2] This fish has a very small head that looks like a seahorse's head, and it is a close relative of seahorses.[2] A green body with a yellow-tinted underside is the typical coloration.[2]
During the breeding season, both males and females display brighter colors, and the male's snout becomes yellow.[2] While hidden there, it consumes zooplankton and copepods by drawing them in through suction.[2] Because males provide parental care in this species, a female's reproductive success depends on her success in courting and pairing with a male.[3]
What the specialist sources record
The World Register of Marine Species lists Nerophis ophidion as an accepted species in the family Syngnathidae, order Syngnathiformes.[4] GBIF holds 3,785 occurrence records for this taxon as of 7 October 2026.[5] According to the NatureGate account, the broadnosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) is the only species that could be mistaken for it; however, that fish has a sturdier build and a hexagonal body cross-section.[6][2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Straightnose pipefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Straightnose pipefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Straightnose pipefish: Nerophis ophidion (L.)", NatureGate (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Straightnose pipefish" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Rosenqvist, "Male mate choice and female-female competition for mates in the pipefish Nerophis ophidion", Animal Behaviour, 1990, p. 1110–1115 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- World Register of Marine Species, Nerophis ophidion (AphiaID 127385). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Nerophis ophidion (taxon key 2333329). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
- "Straightnose pipefish: Nerophis ophidion (L.)", NatureGate. facts only, no text reused. luontoportti.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Straightnose pipefish (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Seahorses and Pipefish
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Straightnose pipefish (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List assessment.
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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