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Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse
Idiotropiscis lumnitzeri Kuiter, 2004
A Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse at a depth of 18 m, Shark Point, Sydney, New South Wales, April 1997. View larger image. Photo: Ákos Lumnitzer.
The holotype of Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse, collected by A. Lumnitzer at Henry Head, La Perouse, Sydney, October 1997. View larger image. Photo: Stuart Humphreys.
Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse resembles a seahorse. It has a prehensile tail and a large head with a tall frontal ridge. Like a seahorse, the head is held at an angle to the body. The head of Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse, however, is positioned at a smaller angle to the longitudinal axis of the body (about 25%) than that of seahorses and more than that of most pipefishes.
This species is white to grey or red with brown blotches or bands.
The largest specimen collected is the holotype, which is 55.2 mm in total length.
Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse is known from the Sydney region and Jervis Bay in New South Wales. It is found on semi-exposed red algae covered rocky reefs in coastal marine waters of 6 m to 30 m depth.
View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
This fish is rarely seen due to its small size and cryptic colouration.
Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse is named after Ákos Lumnitzer who collected the type specimens. He had an aquarium collecting permit issued by New South Wales Fisheries.
Two other species of Idiotropiscis are known from Australian waters, I. larsonae (north-western Western Australia) and I. australe (South Australia and southern Western Australia). Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse can be distinguished from these two species by a number of characters, including a much shorter trunk region.
Related links
- View the Family Syngnathidae list
- View the Pipefishes and Pipehorses list
- View more images of Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse
- View the Sydney's Pygmy Pipehorse page at Underwater Australasia
Further reading
- Dawson, C.E. 1985. Indo-Pacific Pipefishes (Red Sea to the Americas). The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Pp. 230.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and their Relatives. A Comprehensive Guide to Syngnathiformes. TMC Publishing Pp. 240.
- Kuiter, R. H. 2004. A new pygmy pipehorse (Pisces: Syngnathidae: Idiotropiscis) from eastern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 56(2): 163-65. (Download pdf 220 KB)
