Kingdom Animalia Order Syngnathiformes Genus Syngnathus Higher classification Syngnathus | Phylum Chordata Family Syngnathidae Scientific name Syngnathus watermeyeri Rank Species | |
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Similar Pipefish, Syngnathus, Syngnathidae, Darkflank pipefish, Chain pipefish | ||
Syngnathus watermeyeri, the river pipefish or estuarine pipefish, is a species of fish in the Syngnathidae family. It is endemic to South Africa: sites with tidal influence within the Kariega, Kasouga, Bushman's Rivers. It has a long cylindrical body and only grows to around 4 inches long. It lives in tidal estuaries in an eelgrass habitat and feeds on zooplankton. Although twice thought to be extinct, recent surveys have found juvenile Estuarine Pipefish in areas where it had not been reported in over 4 decades.
This species of pipefish is Critically Endangered due to both natural and human threats to the brackish estuaries and local eelgrass beds in which they live.
References
River pipefish Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA