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Common Snipefish
Macroramphosus scolopax (Linnaeus, 1758)
A Common Snipefish trawled by K. Graham on FRV Kapala, at a depth of 140m, off Norah Head, New South Wales, September 1978. View larger image.
A juvenile Common Snipefish collected in October 2000 by S. Fenton. The fish was found along with other species in flotsam washed up after strong winds on Blinky Beach, Lord Howe Island, New South Wales. View larger image.
The Common Snipefish is an oval-shaped fish with an extremely long snout and a long, serrated second dorsal spine.
The rigid body is highly compressed and has a bony ridge and several scutes (glossary) on the belly.
The Common Snipefish is pink to orange above fading to silvery below. Juveniles are silvery-blue.
In Australia the Snipefish is reported to grow to 18cm in length. A recent paper (see further reading, below) records a 22.8cm long (total length) specimen from the Atlantic Ocean off Portugal.
In Australia, this species is recorded from southern Queensland, south to Victoria and into the Great Australian Bight. View a map of the collecting localities of specimens in the Australian Museum Fish Collection.
The genus is in need of revision. Currently there is only a single species of Macroramphosus recorded from temperate waters worldwide.
Further reading
- Gomon, M.F. in Gomon, M.F, Glover, C.J.M. & R.H. Kuiter (Eds). 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. State Print, Adelaide. Pp. 992.
- Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and their Relatives. A Comprehensive Guide to Syngnathiformes. TMC Publishing Pp. 240.
- Borges, L. 2001. A new maximum length for the Snipefish Macroramphosus scolopax. Cybium. 25(2); 191-192.
