Barred Pipefish, Syngnathus auliscus

Barred Pipefish, Syngnathus auliscus. Underwater photograph taken in Zihuantanejo Bay, Guerrero, February 2023. Photograph courtesy of Ron Woheau, Zihuantanejo.

The Barred Pipefish, Synganatus auliscus, is a member of the Pipefish and Seahorse or Syngnathidae Family, that is known in Mexico as anguijila, agujita and pez pipa anillado. Globally, there are thirty-five species in the genus Syngnatus, with three species found in Mexican waters of the Atlantic Ocean and seven in the Pacific Ocean.

The Barred Pipefish has a thin elongated body with a long snout. They are an overall greenish or red-brown color with a mid-lateral stripe and/or a series of 14 to 16 dark bars on the body and 34 to 39 dark bars on the caudal fin. Their anal fin has 2 to 4 rays; their caudal fin is large with 10 rays; their dorsal fin has 26 to 33 rays; and their pectoral fin have 10 to 14 rays. They do not have anal and pelvic fins. They have a ridge that extends along the side of the body that ends at the rear of the anus; they have an upper ridge on the body that is discontinuous with that of the caudal fin just behind the dorsal fin; they have ridges along the bottom of the body and caudal peduncle that are joined.

The Barred Pipefish is a demersal species that is found in marine and brackish environments within seagrass in bays and estuaries and on occasion within floating Sargassum at depths up to 20 m (66 feet). They reach a maximum of 19 cm (7.5 inches) in length. They consume small benthic and planktonic crustaceans and gammarid shrimp. Reproduction is ovoviviparous and involves females depositing eggs in the male’s broom pouch which is found under the tail. The Barred Pipefish is poorly studied with very limited information available about their lifestyle and behavioral patterns including specific details on age, growth, longevity, movement patterns, diet, habitat use, and reproduction.

The Barred Pipefish is found in all Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Barred Pipefish can be confused with the Barcheek Pipefish, Syngnathus californiensis (dark stripe that extends from the chin to the tail), the Bluestripe or Fantail Pipefish, Doryrhampus melanopleura (uniform brown color), the Cortez Pipefish, Syngnathus carinatus (chain link pattern on the sides), and the Snubnose Pipefish, Cosmocampus arctus (short snout, small caudal fin).

From a conservation perspective the Barred Pipefish is currently considered to be of Least Concern with stable, widely distributed populations. Their long-term viability is threatened by the degradation of habitat from coastal development. They are utilized by the aquarium trade at a nominal level.