Teleostei (teleosts) >
Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) >
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathinae
Etymology: Hippichthys: Greek, ippos = horse + Greek, ichthys = fish (Ref. 45335).
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; freshwater; brackish; demersal. Tropical; 34°N - 34°S
Indo-West Pacific: western Persian Gulf (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia), north central Indian Ocean, and eastward to Japan and Queensland, Australia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 18.0 cm SL male/unsexed; (Ref. 7050)
Adults inhabit lower reaches of streams and rivers, also seagrass beds in estuaries and other shallow inshore habitats (Ref. 43081, 44894). Occur in mangrove estuaries and tidal creeks (Ref. 44894). Males exhibit parental care by incubating and guarding the eggs in their brood pouch (Ref. 43081). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and genetic (Ref. 52884). Female deposits eggs on the ventral surface of the male's tail, where they are incubated for several weeks (Ref. 2847).
Dawson, C.E., 1985. Indo-Pacific pipefishes (Red Sea to the Americas). The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA. (Ref. 5316)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Tools
Special reports
Download XML
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 24.5 - 29, mean 27.9 °C (based on 1098 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5156 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00037 (0.00016 - 0.00085), b=3.18 (2.99 - 3.37), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (12 of 100).