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WIDE-BODY PIPEFISH

Wide-body pipefish, Stigmatopora nigra (Stigmatopora nigra Kaup 1856). Widebody, Wide-bodied, Wide-bodied.

Stigmatopora spp. do not have a caudal (tail) fin, and brood on the tail. They share this characteristic with the seahorses (Hippocampus spp.), the seadragons (Phyllopteryx, Common Seadragon; Phycodurus, Leafy Seadragon) and the Solegnathus spp. pipefish.

The Stigmatopora spp. genera currently comprises two species in description, S. sp. nov 2 and the Southern Gulf pipefish (S sp.nov 2), and the described Wide-body pipefish S. nigra, Spotted Pipefish S. argusi, and the New Zealand Smooth Pipefish S. macropterygia.

The two Stigmatopora species groups, the Wide-body pipefish and Spotted pipefish groups, are easily distinguished by the position of the dorsal fin. In the Wide-body group the dorsal fin starts at the 5th to 7th trunk ring, and in the Spotted pipefish group about the 9th to 13th trunk ring. In addition, species in the Wide-body Pipefish group do not have a distinct black spotting on their back (dorsal surface) as characteristic of the Spotted pipefish group. However, a distinguishing feature described earlier by Dawson 1982 of a dorsal ventral flattening distinguishing the Wide-body pipefish from the Spotted pipefish is not true in respect to the Venus pipefish , a South Australian taxon within types of the Spotted Pipefish group.

SPECIES AND RANGE: Wide-body pipefish range from New Zealand to Western Australia. There is other taxon possible from New Zealand and from Western Australia.

Figure 1. Wide-body Pipefish from Dawson 1982.

This illustration from Dawson 1982 shows the type specimen of the Wide-body Pipefish with the dorsal fin at less than six trunk rings. This type also has a much shorter, higher and deeper snout than the New South Australian species in the Wide-body Pipefish group.

Figure 2. The distinctive conformation of the snout of South Australian type of the Wide-body Pipefish.

A lateral view of the snout of the South Australian type of the Wide-body Pipefish showing the less elevated snout when compared with the illustration from Dawson 1982.

A dorsal view of the snout of the South Australian type of the Wide-body Pipefish showing a narrower snout when compared with the illustration from Dawson 1982.

Figure 4. The currently known distribution of the species in the Wide-body Pipefish group.

The known range of the Wide-body Pipefish is shown in red. Areas where the Wide-body Pipefish probably occur are shown in green, and with the range of a possible new species in Western Australia as a red line. A fairly extensive recent (2004) survey of the upper western Eyre Peninsular, South Australia, did not reveal any Wide-body Pipefish. A previous 2003 survey of lower western Eyre Peninsular, South Australia, did also not reveal any Wide-body Pipefish. The map also shows the CONCOM (Second Council of Conservation Ministers Technical Workshop, 1985) bio-geographical regions for southern Australia.

THE FOLLOWING REFERS MAINLY TO THE WIDE-BODY PIPEFISH FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

DISTRIBUTION: Species within the Wide-body Pipefish group probably vary in their habitat requirements and consequently their distribution throughout their range. In South Australia, The Wide-body Pipefish has a clustered distribution with very high populations at sites with scattered vagrants in less optimal sites. Studies show that at two possible sites this species comprised 55% to 95% of specimens (SEE HABITAT BELOW), with two individuals at one other site and none at the seven other sites.

HABITAT: The two sites in South Australia with abundant populations of the Wide-body Pipefish were from plus 0.3 to minus 1.2 meters from low tide level, with clean long Zostera sea grass over fine silt with a flow of cool fresh sea water.

DEMOGRAPHY: In a sample of 58 mature male (showing a distinct brood pouch) Wide-body Pipefish, the average length was 93 mm with a standard deviation of 11 mm, they ranged in size from 54 mm to 110 mm.

In a sample of 43 mature female (showing a distinct wide body) Wide-body Pipefish , the average length was 99 mm with a standard deviation of 10 mm, the range from 62 mm to 113 mm.

REPRODUCTION: Egg numbers of the 10 males with broods of 65 males sampled; mean 17 eggs, range 14 to 25. Reproduction has been recorded in May and September.

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